Surviving Two Diseases: Addiction,Recovery,and Spirituality among Mothers Living with HIV Disease

Abstract

Drawing upon narratives spoken by mothers living with HIV/AIDS, this article describes the role of recovery in helping many women survive the two “diseases” of HIV infection and addiction. The theme of surviving two diseases emerged from secondary qualitative analysis of narratives contained in focus group transcripts. Originally convened to address questions involving life experience and support services, the focus group discussions revealed the importance of recovery, spirituality, positive thinking, inner strength, and social support in helping many women cope with the complexity of living with two highly stigmatized conditions. Secondary analysis provided the opportunity to more closely examine the relevance of recovery principles to ending addiction and strengthening women's feelings of self-efficacy and support.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Brown

, Tappan

, Gilligan

, Miller

, & Argyris

(1989). Reading for self and moral voice: A method for interpreting narratives of real-life moral conflict and choice. In Packer

, & Addison

(Eds.), Entering the circle: Hermeneutic investigation in psychology (pp. 141–164). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Bruner

(1990). Acts of meaning. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Canda

(1988). Conceptualizing spirituality for social work: Insights from diverse perspectives. Social Thought, 14(1), 30–46.

Carson

, Soeken

K.L.

, & Shanty

(1990). Hope and spiritual well-being: Essentials for living with AIDS. Perspectives in psychiatric care, 26, 28–34.

Dunbar

, Mueller

, Medina

, & Wolf

(1998). Psychological and spiritual growth in women living with HIV. Social Work, 43(2), 144–154.

Folkman

, Chesney

M. A.

, Pollack

, & Phillips

(1992). Stress, coping, and high-risk sexual behavior. Health Psychology, 11, 218–222.

Gregoire

T. K.

(1995). Alcoholism: The quest for transcendence and meaning. Clinical Social Work Journal, 23(3), 339–359.

Hazelden Foundation (1996). The twelve steps of alcoholics anonymous. Center City, MN: Hazelden Foundation Press.

Hoffman

M. A.

(1996). Counseling clients with HIV disease: Assessment, intervention, and prevention. New York: Guilford Press.

10.

Hooks

(1993). Sisters of the yam: Black women and self-recovery. Boston: South End Press.

11.

Kaplan

, Marks

, & Mertens

(1997). Distress and coping among women with HIV infection: Preliminary findings from a multiethnic sample. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(1), 80–91.

12.

Lather

, & Smithies

(1997). Troubling the angels: Women living with HIV/AIDS. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

13.

Marcenko

, & Samost

(1999). Living with HIV/AIDS: The experiences, preferences, and needs of HIV-positive moms. Social Work, 44, 36–45.

14.

Miller

W. R.

(1998). Researching the spiritual dimensions of alcohol and other drug problems. Addiction, 93(7), 979–990. O'Reilly, E. B. (1997). Sobering tales: Narratives of alcoholism and recovery. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.

15.

Reed

(1987). Religiousness among terminally ill and healthy adults. Research in Nursing and Health, 9, 35–41.

16.

Ricoeur

(1979). Main trends in philosophy. New York, NY: Holmes & Meier.

17.

Wade-Gayles

(1995). Introduction. In Wade-Gayles

(Ed.). My Soul is a Witness: African-American women's spirituality (pp. 1–8). Boston: Beacon Press.

18.

Walker-Alexander

, & Buckner

(1995). Spirituality, sexuality, and creativity: A conversation with Margaret Walker-Alexander. In Wade-Gayles

(Ed.). My Soul is a Witness: African-American women's spirituality (pp. 224–228). Boston: Beacon Press.

19.

Williams

(1992). No hiding place: Empowerment and recovery for our troubled communities. New York: HarperCollins.

20.

Wuthnow

(1994). Sharing the journey: Support groups and America's new quest for community. New York: The Free Press.