The Daily Lives of People With HIV Infection: A Qualitative Study of the Control Group in an Expressive Writing Intervention.
Maria Metaweh, Gail Ironson, Julie Barroso
PMID 27426408WHAT IT FOUND
People living with HIV described daily life shaped by money, self-care, faith, and support.
In 114 essays they described positive self-care, including medications, hygiene, meals, and appointments; poverty, poor sleep, stigma, and strained relationships were also described.
Key findings
01114 essays described positive self-care, including taking medications or vitamins, personal hygiene, eating well, exercising, and swimming.
02Fifty essays described disordered sleep, including several daytime naps, staying up late, trouble falling or staying asleep, and oversleeping.
03Seventy-four essays described abundant social support from family, pets, significant others, roommates, co-workers, community organizations, support groups, friends, neighbors, therapists, and health care providers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a secondary analysis of control-group essays from one time point only, so it does not test the expressive writing intervention or use the other control time points. Participants were asked to write about daily activities and to avoid emotions or opinions, which may have limited what they reported. The sample was limited to adults aged 18 to 70 with mid-range HIV illness; people with severely symptomatic AIDS-defining conditions, current alcohol or substance dependence, psychotic symptoms, active systemic disease, or reading below an eighth-grade level were excluded. The findings are self-reported essay themes, not observed behavior, randomized comparison, or measured health outcomes. The study did not compare the control essays with the intervention essays or with a no-writing condition.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflicts of interest declaration. The publication type indicates NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that writing about daily life improved self-care or health. This analysis used control-group essays from one time point and did not test the expressive writing intervention or measure health outcomes.