Support Groups for HIV+ Women
Robin Lennon-Dearing, 2004

Abstract

Being diagnosed with HIV and living with a stigmatized chronic illness can be very isolating. Women living with HIV often feel alone and want contact with other women who share their situation (Hackl, Somlai, Kelly, & Kalichman, 1997; Heath & Rodway, 1999; Moneyham et al., 1998; Walker, 2002). One significant avenue for HIV+ women to receive the support, information, and affiliation they need is through gender-specific HIV support groups. A support group specifically for women and their needs has been recommended by researchers and is often preferred by women themselves (Carels, Baucom, Leone, & Rigney, 1998; Emlet, Tangenberg, & Siverson, 2002; Land, 2000; Meredith, Delaney, Horgan, Fisher, & Fraser, 1997; Metcalfe, Langstaff, Evans, Paterson, & Reid, 1998; Morrow, Costello, & Boland, 2001; Walker, 2002), but research is lacking about how support groups for HIV+ women can be helpful. This exploratory study addresses the following questions: (a) what are the reasons HIV+ women attend all-female support groups? (b) What happens inside an all-female support group that HIV+ women find therapeutic? (c) What benefits do HIV+ women gain from attending support groups? And (d) How satisfied are they with their support group experience? Seventy-one women attending nine all-female HIV support groups in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina completed a 66-item self-report questionnaire designed by this author to specifically address these research questions. Results indicate that the primary reason for attendance was to meet other HIV+ women. Therapeutic factors that women ranked as important were hope, altruism, and universality. Benefits from attendance included an increase in medication compliance, a decrease in risk reexposure behaviors, a decrease in feelings of shame, and a network of friends to socialize with. Overall, the women were strongly satisfied with their group experience.