UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCE OF PHYSICAL DISABILITY AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Since the advent of antiretroviral therapy, people living with HIV (PLHIV) are living longer but increasingly experience physical disability. The primary objective of this study was to understand the experience (presence and impact) of physical disability among PLHIV. The secondary objective was to understand the influence of extrinsic and intrinsic contextual factors. Interview guide developed using the Episodic Disability Framework and items from existing physical performance measures. Semi-structured interviews conducted online were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis. Fifteen participants completed the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), indicating moderate disability, while interviews revealed seven themes: physical symptoms and impairments; reconstituting day-to-day activities; social disconnection and relationship changes; the episodic nature of disability and uncertainty; intrinsic strategies for resilience and adaptation; extrinsic unmet rehabilitation and service needs; and triggers. The findings from this study contribute to understanding the experience of physical disability among PLHIV.