HUMAN ASSOCIATION AS A FACTOR INFLUENCING WELLNESS IN HOMOSEXUAL MEN WITH HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS DISEASE

In-depth interviews of 29 homosexual men with varying degrees of human immunodeficiency virus illness were conducted using grounded theory m ethodology. The study participants indicated that the need for intimac y and community were of paramount importance to living well and sugges ted that feeling connected to others was a synergistic process that pr omoted an existential/spiritual understanding of one's self as being w ell. Clinical recommendations for nurses include the use of intimacy-b uilding care strategies that are capable of helping clients construct meaning of their experience to enhance individual well-being. Copyrigh t (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company.