Perceived benefits and negative consequences of alcohol consumption in cving with HIV: A qualitative study
BACKGROUND:
Women
living with HIV have increased prevalence of medical and psychological comorbidities
that could be adversely affected by alcohol consumption. Little is known about
their unique motivations for drinking or perceptions of HIV-related
consequences. In preparation for an alcohol intervention study, we sought to
better understand reasons for drinking and perceived consequences of alcohol
consumption among a sample of women living with HIV.
METHODS:
Four
focus groups, with a total of 24 adult women (96 % African-American,
88 % HIV-positive), were conducted in Jacksonville, FL, Washington, DC and
Chicago, IL. Focus group discussions were tape-recorded and transcribed
verbatim; a conventional content analysis approach was used to identify themes,
that were then grouped according to a biopsychosocial model.
RESULTS:
Regarding
reasons for drinking, women described themes that included biological
(addiction, to manage pain), psychological (coping, to escape bad experiences,
to feel in control), and social (peer pressure, family). Themes related to
consequences from alcohol included biological (damage to body, poor adherence
to medications), psychological (risky or regrettable behavior, memory loss),
and social (jail, loss of respect, poor choices). When discussing how their
drinking impacted their health, women focused on broader issues, rather than
HIV-specific issues.
CONCLUSION:
Many
women living with HIV are drinking alcohol in order to self-manage pain or
emotions, and their perceived consequences from drinking extend beyond
HIV-specific medical issues. Most participants described themes related to
psychological issues and situations that are common in women living with HIV.
Interventions to address drinking should inquire more specifically about
drinking to manage pain or emotion, and help women to recognize the potential
adverse impact of alcohol on comorbid health issues, including their own HIV
infection.
- 1Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, University of Florida, 2004 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA. cookrl@ufl.edu.
- 2Department of Family, Community, and Health System Science, University of Florida College of Nursing, PO Box 100197, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0197, USA.
- 3Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
- 4Cook County Health and Hospital System and Hektoen Institute of Medicine, 2225 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
- 5Clinical Research Specialist, UF CARES, University of Florida Center for HIV/AIDS, Research, Education & Service, 653-1 West 8th Street, LRC 3rd Floor L-13, Jacksonville, FL, 32209, USA.
- 6Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, University of Florida, 2004 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
- 7Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), Georgetown University Medical Center, 2115 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 130, Washington DC, 20007, USA.
- 8Department of Public Health, Bethune-Cookman University, College of Health Sciences, 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida, 32114, USA.
- BMC Public Health. 2016 Mar 15;16(1):263. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2928-x.
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