title: HIV diagnosis rituals and identity narratives.
abstract: Using the constitutive view of health communication as a framework, this essay explores the construction of HIV diagnoses in narratives about physician/patient interactions. Narrative analysis reveals the life-changing impact of HIV diagnosis and the incongruence of the routine ways in which most diagnoses are handled. It also highlights the importance of HIV-positive communities in the construction of HIV-positive identities. These analyses suggest a review of how all diagnoses are delivered, and a need for further exploration of the role of supportive communities in construction of identity.
authors.affiliation: SCILS, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1071, USA. nroth@scils.rugers.edu
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012649:Self Concept