title: Silence is not golden: invisible Latinas living with HIV in the Midwest.
abstract: This qualitative study was conducted to better understand the health needs and concerns of immigrant HIV-infected Latinas residing in the Midwest United States. Individual interviews (n = 18) were conducted in Spanish with Latinas in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Women were at different stages of acceptance about their HIV diagnosis and four common themes emerged from the data: pregnancy as a death sentence, HIV is taboo, God as their only resource, and living in isolation. Silence was an over-arching theme present throughout all the narratives and many women had never shared their stories about HIV with anyone. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were common. These findings have implications for strategies to address the HIV prevention and HIV-related healthcare needs of this population of women. Results from this study further suggest that efforts are needed to break the silence surrounding HIV and to reduce HIV-related stigma in smaller Midwestern Hispanic communities.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. enriquezm@umkc.edu
authors.forename: Maithe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enriquez
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Jacki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smueles
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Romey
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sweet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D014342:Truth Disclosure
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