“HIV has taught us that you can survive anything”: findings from auto-ethnographic video diaries exploring resilience among people living with HIV during the Covid pandemic in five countries

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to elucidate the intrinsic and extrinsic resilience resources among people living with HIV (PLWH) during the Covid pandemic. Autoethnographic video diaries from 29 PLWH from Argentina, UK, Philippines, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago were included. Data were thematically analysed and validated with community partners and a video was co-produced. PLWH displayed a readiness to adopt healthy behaviours and engage in optimistic and constructive thinking about the future. Hobbies and daily activities, supportive relationships with peers living with HIV, family and friends, opportunities to mobilise and contribute to their communities in meaningful ways, supportive healthcare providers and reliable access to antiretroviral treatment helped foster psychological resilience among PLWH. The extrinsic resilience resources also supported positive physical health outcomes among PLWH through improved medication adherence.

KEYWORDS:

• Resilience
• Covid
• HIV
• video diary
• mental health
• antiretroviral treatment

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all the people living with HIV who generously shared their time, stories and experiences for the purposes of this research. This work was funded by the UK Research and Innovation via the Higher Education Innovation Fund at the University of Sussex, with additional in-kind support from the Beyond LIVING partnership of the Global Network of People Living with HIV, the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) and the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+). The Arts and Humanities Research Council through the CHASE Knowledge Exchange Hub provided additional support for MP and JH. ICW Argentina, Positibong Pasigueno (Philippines), the Transgender Coalition and Community of Women Living with HIV in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Positively UK and the Terrence Higgins Trust in the UK, have all contributed to spreading the word about this project and participant recruitment.

Author contributions

MP, CL, GC, AS and JW conceptualised the study. PB and ZC facilitated data collection and transcription. PB, ZC and MP analysed the data. All authors contributed to the interpretation of findings and manuscript write-up.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

Ethical approval was granted by the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Research Governance Ethics Committee (Approval ref no: ER/BSMS9GXW/2).

Data availability statement

Data are not currently available due to restrictions with consent and ethical agreements on sharing data.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by UK Research and Innovation via the Higher Education Innovation Fund at the University of Sussex, with additional in-kind support from the Beyond LIVING partnership of the Global Network of People Living with HIV, the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) and the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+). Additional support for MP and JH was provided by the Arts and Humanities Research Council through the CHASE Knowledge Exchange Hub.