Enfrentamento da AIDS entre mulheres infectadas em Fortaleza - CE

Abstract

The objective of this study was to learn how women with Aids cope with daily living after receiving their diagnosis. It is an exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach based on thematic oral history for data collection and analysis. Ten women with Aids were interviewed at a reference hospital in Fortaleza, State of Ceará, from December 2004 to March 2005. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The results revealed different ways of coping, related to the fragility of the discovery of the diagnosis, to the need to hide the infection due to the discrimination and prejudice faced by the victims, and to the constant perception of death. In addition, the women expressed feelings such as shame, concern about family, abandonment, solitude, sadness, fear and anxiety. The authors conclude that, two decades after the epidemic broke out, women still face evident difficulties when they experience their infection.

Sentimentos Relatados Pelos Trabalhadores Da Saúde Frente À Epidemia Da Aids (1986-2006)

“…Thus, they review their histories and their plans, and reassess what they consider essential. [16][17] In this study, health workers emphasized that the feeling of imminent death could be observed in some of the patients, who knew they were carrying a disease that was lethal then. This caused various distressing feelings, such as fear, anxiety, and depression.…”

“…[15][16] However, according to the speeches of health workers, that was not what they experienced in the beginning of the emergence of AIDS in NRH, but rather feelings of discrimination, prejudice, and shame by some family members, especially parents, regarding the serological situation of their children. This fact can be observed in the following speeches:…”

“…They were led to hide their diagnoses due to fear of stigmatization and rejection, in addition to being victims of prejudice. [15][16] Families, for fear of judgement and social exclusion, preferred to keep their relatives' diagnoses away from society as a protective measure. If society knew, it would look at them differently and treat them with indifference.…”

Mulheres soropositivas para o HIV: compreensão, sentimentos e vivência diante da maternidade

“…Apreender os significados atribuídos a essa situação passa pelo entendimento da subjetividade da ação expressa por meio da linguagem, dimensionada por mecanismos que vão além da linguagem, determinada, muitas vezes, pelos aspectos socioculturais e ideológicos (10) . O estudo foi realizado no município de Fortaleza, capital do estado do Ceará, nordeste do Brasil, a qual apresenta uma grande desigualdade social e tem no turismo uma das suas principais fontes de renda.…”

Comunicação não-verbal durante cuidados prestados aos filhos por mães com Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana

“…In this way, their behavior is influenced, once a video is a concrete record of their participation in the study as HIV seropositive individuals. This is a fact that they try to keep secret, including from family members, due to the fear of being judged and of social exclusion (16) . However, in the case of the present study, the mother was approached before filming and her questions were clarified, aiming to familiarize her with the new environment.…”