“My children and my home”: the most recent and challenging stressors of HIV-positive women

Because of negative health consequences and differences in exposure and vulnerability to stressful encounters, it is important to examine and understand the stressful experiences faced by women living with HIV. The goal of this study was to examine the most recent and challenging stressors faced and coping strategies adopted by a sample of women living with HIV. Using mixed methodology, narratives of six women’s most recent and stressful experience and answers to the Ways of Coping questionnaire were collected and analysed. Two main themes arose from the stressor narratives: child-related concerns and housing issues. To address these stressors, each woman used a variety of coping strategies, the most common being seeking social support even when stressors were analysed separately according to their main themes. Implications of these findings within service provision are discussed.