The Framing and Fashioning of Therapeutic Citizenship Among People Living With HIV Taking Antiretroviral Therapy in Uganda

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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sage
Abstract
In this article, we examine how people living with HIV (PLWH) were able to reconceptualize or “reframe” their understanding of HIV and enhance their capacity to self-manage the condition. Two in-depth interviews were held with 38 PLWH (20 women, 18 men) selected from three government and nongovernment antiretroviral therapy (ART) delivery sites in Wakiso District, and the narratives analyzed. ART providers played an important role in shaping participants’ HIV self-management processes. Health workers helped PLWH realize that they could control their condition, provided useful concepts and language for emotional coping, and gave advice about practical selfmanagement tasks, although this could not always be put into practice. ART providers in this setting were spaces for the development of a collective identity and a particular form of therapeutic citizenship that encouraged selfmanagement, including adherence to ART. Positive framing institutions are important for many PLWH in resourcelimited settings and the success of ART programs.
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Keywords
HIV/AIDS, Africa, Sub-Saharan, illness and disease, coping and adaptation, health care users’, self-care adherence
Citation
Russell, S., Namukwaya, S., Zalwango, F., & Seeley, J. (2016). The framing and fashioning of therapeutic citizenship among people living with HIV taking antiretroviral therapy in Uganda. Qualitative Health Research, 26(11), 1447-1458.DOI: 10.1177/1049732315597654