"I'm not going to die from the AIDS": resilience in aging with HIV disease.
OBJECTIVE
Adults aging with HIV/AIDS can experience resilience in spite of the deleterious affects of the disease. This study seeks to examine the lived experiences of older adults with HIV/AIDS as it relates to strengths and resilience in dealing with this devastating disease.


METHODS
Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 adults, 50 years and older, living with HIV/AIDS. The interview transcripts were analyzed using constant comparative methodology following the tenets of adaptive theory.


RESULTS
The majority of informants expressed experiences of resilience and strengths as related to living with HIV/AIDS. Seven major themes emerged from the analysis including self-acceptance, optimism, will to live, generativity, self-management, relational living, and independence.


CONCLUSIONS
The research identified the importance of strengths and resilience among older adults living with HIV/AIDS. Further research is needed to explore these phenomena with larger samples. Practitioners should identify and implement methods for assessing resilience among older HIV-infected adults.
Emlet
Charles A
CA
University of Washington, 1900 Commerce Street, Campus Box 358425, Tacoma, WA 98402-5825, USA. caemlet@u.washington.edu
Tozay
Shakima
S
Raveis
Victoria H
VH
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012648:Self Care; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D013240:Stereotyping; D013637:Tape Recording; D014861:Washington