• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.497-506
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• 2000

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experience of people with HIV/AIDS. Three men and three women with HIV/AIDS participated in the study. They were asked open-ended and descriptive questions in order for them to talk about their experience in their own terms. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed to maintain data integrity and to reduce perceptual bias. The transcripts were analyzed by the Colaizzi method. Member checks from the participants were used to validate the emergent themes. Seven themes emerged from the analysis. 1. People with HIV/AIDS have a strong impact and emotional reaction when receiving positive HIV test results. 2. All people with HIV/AIDS attempt to conceal HIV infection because of fear of stigma or rejection. 3. After the initial brief traumatic reaction to HIV/AIDS diagnosis, all participants feel lonely because they had no one to express or share their own experiences. 4. People with HIV/AIDS reflect on their life, think about the death and dying process and they become depressed. 5. Most participants feel that the family members who know his/her diagnosis are a big source of support. 6. According to the normativeness of infection route of HIV, the degree of guilty feeling differs among participants. 7. Although all participants think medication is a lifeline, the adherence to medication is not maintained because of side effects, denial and concealment of HIV/AIDS. The results of this study may help nurses and other health care workers to implement more efficient nursing strategies for people with HIV/AIDS by more deeply understanding their experience.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.251-279
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• 2010

In 2009 the Ministry of Health and Society reported a new milestone in longevity among people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA): An individual was reported to be living and healthy after 24 years with HIV/AIDS. Today, PLWHA who receive treatment are more likely to die as a result of cancer or cardiovascular diseases than HIV/AIDS. However, in Korea the public association between HIV/AIDS and death remains strong and PLWHA live with the feeling of being discarded. While great advances have been made in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, understanding of life with HIV/AIDS is just beginning. This study describes the life experiences of PLWHA after being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Phenomenological methods were used to analyze the transcripts of semi-structured interviews with six PLWHA. Time is a constant factor in the life experiences of PLWHA. After being diagnosed, participants were shocked, feeling as though the world was caving in and they were living with a time bomb. Compulsory disclosure left PLWHA with a feeling of disconnection from the world. Participants were fired from their jobs, resulting in poverty, isolation and a sense that they were simply waiting to die. However, health professionals informed participants that HIV/AIDS is a manageable illness. With time, PLWHA came to understand HIV/AIDS differently. In accepting their HIV infection, PLWHA created a new sense of meaning in their lives. To be honest to their loved ones and true to their own identity, PLWHA worked to "come out." The experience of coming out helped them to accept themselves as they were and understand their own strength. The most important influence on their treatment, and living with HIV/AIDS generally, was obtaining correct information about HIV/AIDS from health professionals. After accepting that they were living with HIV/AIDS, participants were able to look beyond themselves to support those around them, including family members, friends, and others who encouraged them to recognize and feel confident in their own identity.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• 제18권9호
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• pp.216-225
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of spirituality on the quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS. The survey was conducted with 260 people living with HIV/AIDS to analyze the effect of sociodemographic factors, spiritual experience in ordinary life, value and belief, forgiveness, personal religious life, religious/spiritual response skills and the spiritual factor of religious support. As a result of the OLS regression analysis, the income level, seriousness of illness, forgiveness and religious/spiritual response skill were found to have an effect on the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. This study proved that spiritual factors as well as demographic factors strongly influence the quality of life in people with HIV/AIDS. In summary, the effect of spirituality on the quality of life was discussed and on the basis of the results, it is deemed necessary to emphasize spirituality factors to improve the mental health of people living with HIV/AIDS. The limitations of this study are discussed and future investigations envisaged.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.544-554
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was designed to describe the burnout experiences of nurses counseling people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in hospital-based counseling services in Korea. Methods: A qualitative research technique with focus group interviews was used and the data were collected in 2012. Participants were 13 counseling nurses from 16 medical hospitals in South Korea who had worked full-time for more than six months as a counseling nurse for PLWHA. The 13 nurses made up 68.4% of all 19 official HIV counseling nurses in South Korea. Data were collected using focus group interviews and analyzed with the content analysis methodology of Downe-Wamboldt. Results: Burnout experience of counseling nurses for PLWHA was analyzed for two domains-causes of, and effects of burnout. Each domain was classified into three categories; personal, job-related, and relationships. Further 17 sub-categories and 47 concepts were discovered. Conclusion: In this study various causes and effects of burnout experienced by nurses counseling PLWHA were identified. These findings can be used in developing effective strategies for nurses, administrators, and health policy makers to solve the burnout of counseling nurses. Further research is required to develop detailed and practical job description for nurses counseling PLWHA.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.125-147
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• 1997

This study was conducted in order to identify the extent to which Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs explain the likelihood of taking preventive behaviors for AIDS among the young adolescents in Korea. HBM was applied as the theoretical framework for developing questionnaire items in this study. The survey instrument included all of the constructs of Health Belief Model, namely, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, cue to actions for preventive behaviors concerning AIDS. Additionally, demographic characteristics of the respondents, their sexual experiences, and AIDS Knowledge Test were included in the study. Each of HBM constructs were developed with a 5-point Likert type scale from l(never agree) to 5 (absolutely agree). The survey was conducted with a total of 247 military men in a city on September 18, 1996, using self-reported questionnaire. The results of the study were summarized as follows: 1. Because the subjects for this study were military soldiers, their demographic characteristics were limited to all men, young age, and ummarried. Educational status was evenly distributed between high school graduates and university students. 2. On the average, the respondents started their first sexual relationship at 18 years old and 82.6% of them did not use condom when having their first sexual experience. Thirty-one percent of the subjects had sexual contact with prostitutes and the average number of sexual contact with prostitutes was 5 times during the past 2 years. 3. The results of AIDS Knowledge Test scores demonstrated that the respondents had a high level of knowledge about AIDS. However, some misconceptions about transmission of AIDS through casual contact were still prevailed. Sixty-six percent of the respondents expressed that people infected with HIV should be isolated from the society in order to protect the general public. 4. All the respondents expressed that they had heard about AIDS before. TV was found to be the source which provided information on AIDS most frequently. 5. Among fundamental constructs of Health Belief Model, scores of perceived benefit of taking preventive action against AIDS marked the highest score, while scores of perceived susceptibility were the lowest. As a result of Multiple Stepwise Regression analysis, 13 variable groups were found to predict the preventive action by 25%. Among them, only perceived benefit variables was the most significant factor to explain preventive behaviors by 17%.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.49-63
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• 2005

Objectives: The study was designed to assess the trends of the incidence of HIV among young people and their sexual risk-taking behaviors by gender in Korean college students. Methods: The cross-sectional study was used from college students from selected 60 among 208 4-year colleges and universities in 9 provinces and Seoul. A self-reported anonymous questionnaire administered and completed to a national representative sample of 4-year college students from May 15th to June 14th in 2003. We analyzed 2,385 cases. The overall response rate was 82.0%. Results: After controlling age effects, male students were more likely to be sexually experienced than female students(40.0% vs. 8.1%), OR=5.5, p<.000. The proportions of 19 years and before reported for initiation of sexual intercourse were 18.6% for males and 3.2% for females. Males reported significantly younger ages than females at initiation of sexual intercourse(p<.01). Only 14.8% of current sexually active subjects reported consistent use of contraceptive methods. After controlling age effects, male students reported a higher proportion of sexually experienced respondents with one or more casual partners(excluding a formal partner) during the last 12 months than women(38.8% vs. 22.2%), OR=2.2, p<. 05. Conclusion : This study can conclude that although males students initiate sex earlier and have higher percentage of sexual experience, the percentage of sexually experience female students has risen rapidly compared to the past. This data revealed a number of young people were at risk for HIV infection. Both genders are equally likely to have engaged in inconsistent condom use even though when they have a sex with an unknown partner. These findings suggest that practical sex education focused on using condom use should have been included in the school curricular. Educational and community interventions need to prevent sex-related problems.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.159-166
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• 2017

According to the advance of antiretroviral regimen and the early treatment strategy, people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) are achieving the goal of virologic suppression and immune restoration. Most of them no more die of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) defining illnesses, and become older with chronic comorbidities such as cardiovascular, metabolic, hepatic, renal and neurological diseases. However some PLWH still visit hospitals as late presenters with very low CD4+ T cell counts, so that they suffer AIDS defining illnesses to die or experience severe neurological complications resulting in disabilities. Early palliative interventions are needed on the various symptoms of PLWH. Thus far chronic pains such as distal symmetric sensory polyneuropathies have been underevaluated. Active pain-relieving interventions are important to them. Recently we define end of life condition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or eligibility to hospice care after adjusting current status of HIV treatment. Hospice teams should pay attention to the specific medical conditions, psychological needs, and social circumstances of PLWH. With just standard precautions as common infection control measures, general hospice cares can be provided to them like to other hospices subjects. For giving PLWH opportunities to have the end of life with value and dignity, hospice multidisciplinary team should intervene them early and aggressively. Now we need more clinical experiences and institutional improvements.