Findings correlated to three major life-intervals.  “The Early Years: Playing Cinderella,” represents the participants’ experiences from their earliest recollection until they left home.  Their exposure to substance use, violence, and prejudice led to the theme “I used drugs, alcohol and other solutions to still my pain and loss.”  

The next interval, “The Middle Years: On the Edge,” signified their lives in the street searching for independence, and money for drugs.  The women's vulnerability, homelessness, and infection with HIV/AIDS are portrayed in the theme:  “It wasn’t only the infection that hurt me, it was also the loss, the abandonment, and the loneliness in my life.” 

In the final life-interval “The Years of Moving Forward: Growing Pains, Facing Losses and Rebuilding,” the participants secured safe living quarters and succeeded in rehabilitation.  Helping others, finding a higher power, and transcending the hardship of HIV/AIDS were captured by the theme: “Spirituality and HIV were my catalysts for change.”  Here, the women attempted to repair relationships, gain support and draw upon inner resources, leading to the theme: “When I reverse the script, losing makes me a winner.”

Two metathemes were identified with broader implications.  The first, “Girls surrounded by poverty, crime, and drugs can develop into a vulnerable population of women,” suggests that early traumatic environments provide the contexts for future misfortunes.  The second metatheme, “Chronic conditions can inspire people in marginalized populations to develop strengths and resources that permit them to exceed the expectations of society,” suggests looking beyond illness and challenges to the entire human experience as a dynamic process of growth and development.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)