“SO FAR IT’S BEEN CHOOSING WHICH SIDE EFFECTS I WANT OR I CAN DEAL WITH”: A GROUNDED THEORY OF THE HIV TREATMENT SIDE EFFECTS AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV

Resumo

Objective: we present the findings of a grounded theory study designed to gain a critical understanding of the experience of side effects of treatment for HIV. Method: this study was undertaken in Canada’s capital region with 50 participants through a questionnaire. Data analysis began with the initial line-by-line coding of key interviews. After it were categorized. Results: three main categories emerged from the data: the side effects, the experience, and the connections. Conclusion: the first category suggests that we need to change how we think about side effects in order to take into account the context in which they are experienced as well as the types and nature of side effects. The second category puts forward the idea that the experience of side effects is composed of three interrelated processes: becoming with, living with, and dealing with. Finally, the third category points to new connections that are formed with people, things and systems in the presence of side effects.

Descriptors: Adverse Effects; Antiretroviral; ART; Grounded Theory; HIV; Side Effects; Toxicity.