Between living and aging: perceptions of women with HIV

Entre la vida y el envejecimiento: percepciones de las mujeres con VIH

Objectives:  to analyze the perceptions of living and aging among women with HIV.

Methods:  qualitative research with 30 women aged 50 or older in Recife, PE, Brazil. The Social Representation Theory was used as a theoretical framework, and the lexical analysis method was employed using the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires software.

Results:  the social representation of aging with HIV is viewed from the temporal perspective of a sad, painful, and revolting life trajectory, determining meanings about the diagnosis, daily life practices and activities, conflicts in human relationships, and adherence to antiretroviral therapies.

Final Considerations:  the importance of these representations lies in improving healthcare professionals’ practice and promoting a broader understanding of aging with HIV, offering more humanized, comprehensive/dynamic care in healthcare services, and considering quality of life in different social contexts.

Descriptors:
Social Representation; Women; Healthy Aging; HIV; Nursing.