RESTRUCTURING LIFE TO FACE THE FUTURE - THE PERSPECTIVE OF MEN AFTER A POSITIVE RESPONSE TO PROTEASE INHIBITOR THERAPY

This article describes a qualitative study that explores the psychosoc ial changes and care delivery issues experienced by men with AIDS who were facing end-stage disease but then had dramatic physical improveme nt as a result of protease inhibitor therapy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 men with HIV/AIDS drawn from a community-based AIDS service organization in a large metropolitan area in the Southeast. U sing Collaizi's model of content analysis, three broad categories, pro tease inhibitors as a reprieve, changed roles and relationships, and n eed for advocacy and support, emerged from the data. From the three br oad categories, seven more specific themes were identified: guarded op timism, buying time, change in relationships, work versus disability, access to medications, access to HIV/AIDS competent health care, and f ocused support services. Collectively, the phenomenon resulting from t hese men's experiences and concerns can be described as efforts to res tructure life to face a future they did not expect. These findings sup port the need for developing formal, structured interventions to help persons living with AIDS (PLWA) to restructure their lives as new anti retroviral therapies promote improvements in health.