Existential issues and coping: A qualitative study of low-income women with HIV

We examined various themes that arose from interviews with nine HIV-infected women, eight of whom were receiving public assistance at the time of the interview and were mothers to HIV-infected children. Drawing on an existential-humanistic perspective, the first author designed semi-structured interviews that would capture the extent to which the mothers experienced existential loneliness. A thematic cross-ease content analysis of the interview material was used to analyze the data and revealed that the mothers struggled with a range of existential issues that included guilt, responsibility and choice; helplessness and control; death anxiety, lonelinesss and isolation; and meaning and authenticity. With respect to psychological coping strategies, our findings indicated that despite the added burdens of poverty and a stigmatizing disease, these women were able to turn their health crisis into a growth-producing and meaning-giving experience. More specifically, their children came to serve as a crucial meaning-giving force in their lives, a force that motivated them to forge ahead and meet with courage the existential challenges they faced.