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AIDS & abuse : childhood trauma and HIV vulnerability in adulthood

University of British Columbia

There is a growing body of literature suggesting that a history of childhood sexual abuse contributes to heightened vulnerability for HIV infection, but to date there exists a paucity of qualitative research considering the psychological factors that may predispose one to HIV infection. The research reported in this document attempts to identify the manner in which gay men sexually abused as children define and experience safety in their lives as HIV-seropositive adults. The results of this investigation have implications for the psychotherapeutic treatment of persons at risk for HIV infection, as well as those individuals living with HIV/AIDS. A qualitative approach employing existential phenomenology was used as a framework for this investigation. Three HIV-seropositive gay men acted as coresearchers and conveyed their experiences of safety as survivors of childhood sexual abuse and as persons living with HIV. Each of these men had already established a therapeutic relationship with the researcher, and wanted their experiences to contribute to the care and understanding of others. Their participation in this research was an opportunity for each of the co-researchers to empower himself, and by doing so contribute to the empowerment of others—both survivors of abuse and those who care for them. Each of the co-researchers was provided with a transcript of their initial interview, as well as a thematic analysis of their narratives, and these were subsequently used as tools for further reflection in their therapeutic relationship with me.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-06-15

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9121

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace