title: The disconnected self: consequences of abuse in a cohort of low-income white women living with HIV/AIDS.
abstract: An infrequently acknowledged social factor influencing the health of low-income women is a history of physical/emotional abuse. In this article I address how abusive relationships influenced women's self-care practices. In this grounded theory study, vulnerability to abuse was established before diagnosis of HIV infection and promoted "lingering images" of a damaged self. The damaged self-images that grew out of abusive relationships provided a barrier to self-care. Data analysis uncovered a core category of disconnection from self-care. Experiences of being cared for, particularly the care of health professionals, offered supportive relationships that encouraged women to care for themselves through self-care practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Nursing, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-4250, USA. mleenert@mail.mcg.edu
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Leenerts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health