The spirituality of people with hiv/aids: A study of social representations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the spirituality of people who live with HIV/Aids. This was a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study based on Social Representations Theory. The data were collected at the municipal public hospital in Rio de Janeiro through semi-structured interviews with 30 people, and were analyzed by content analysis. Five categories were established: From suffering to the difficulty of making sense of the diagnosis; Bouncing back: finding meaning; From difficulty in adhering to treatment to hope of cure; Transcendental relationships; and The presence of religiosity in living with HIV/Aids. It was concluded that discovery of the diagnosis for people who live with HIV/Aids is characterized by a set of feelings, attitudes and practices that reveal the suffering and difficulty of maintaining or rediscovering meaning in life. On the other hand, receiving the diagnosis contributed to reflections and questions which became a way of cultivating spirituality.