Am I My Mother's Keeper? Unexpected Sources of Social Support for Women Living with HIV/AIDS

HIV and AIDS remains a health threat for women of color, especially African American women. The statistics among African American women are alarming. African American women represent a disproportionate number – 65% of the total number of women currently living with HIV/AIDS. The social needs of HIV positive individuals were recognized early in the epidemic. Social support has been known to reduce the effects of stressful life events on health. And, the relationship between social support and health has been strongly established. Twenty women ages 20 - 49 were recruited from an outpatient clinic at an urban teaching hospital. Participants were instructed to keep a reflective journal to document facilitators and barriers to HIV medication adherence for a two-week period with a minimum of ten entries. Journals entries included: medication adherence challenges, life with a chronic disease, and sources of social support. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted. Social support played an important role in helping women adhere to complicated medication schedules. The reflective journals and interviews revealed that young children were the primary source of social support compared to adult family members or friends. Although, we typically think of children as needing care and not care providers, the care-giving role assumed by young children in this exploration encompassed tangible efforts and emotional support. It has become increasingly necessary to fully assess support systems of people living with HIV/AIDS, particularly those newly diagnosed. The dynamics of HIV are far reaching and include the psycho-social factors of young children as support systems.