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Learning Objective 1: The learner will understand the scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe
Learning Objective 2: The learner will understand the role of culture in fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe
Background: Zimbabwe has among the highest HIV infection rates worldwide, with 1.3 million people, most of them women between 15-49 years living with the disease in 2008. The pandemic has caused crisis level adult morbidity and mortality among the economically-active groups, huge reversals of recent gains in early childhood survival, rapid decrease in population growth, and a relentless rise in the number of orphans. Missing from the Zimbabwean HIV/AIDS literature are the women’s voices and experiences of being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to investigate the experience of being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS for Zimbabwean women.
Method: This qualitative phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to interview seventeen women living with HIV/AIDS. Data was analyzed using the van Manen’s method of researching the lived experience (1997).
Findings: Two themes: living with suspicion of HIV/AIDS; and sensing the engulfing anguish of an HIV/AIDS diagnosis were found to be the essence of the women’s experiences of being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
Conclusions and Implications:
Shortly before the women were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, they lived in a state of suspicion as they observed what was happening within and around them. At the time of diagnosis they were thrown into a time- limited condition of anguish prompted by the reality of a possible immature death leaving their children orphaned. The women’s anguish was exaggerated by their sense of injustice of being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, a condition they felt did not deserve.
The findings inform healthcare providers and policymakers on the trauma and suffering the women endured as they were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. These findings emphasize the need for evidence-based pre and post-HIV testing counseling, as well as adequate education and support for health care workers who work with this traumatized population.