Understanding the experiences of fathers who are living with HIV
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the experiences of fathers who are living with HIV. An interpretive phenomenological study.
IRAS ID
166992
Contact name
Aiveen Higgins
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Thanks to advances in the medical treatment of HIV people are now living much longer with the disease. As a result the number of people parenting while living with HIV in the UK is substantial and growing. Living with HIV poses unique challenges for parents caring for young children. The demands of the illness such as physical symptoms and complicated medication regimes, together with the stigma which surrounds the disease, may compete with the individual’s idea of what it means to be a good parent.Research into the consequences of parental HIV has largely focused on the experiences of mothers and children. Very little research has focused on men who are parenting with HIV. This is a significant gap in the literature as these men represent a vulnerable group who’s difficulties related to parenting are relatively unknown to healthcare professionals. The proposed research aims to explore the lived experience of these men who are fathering while living with HIV. Semi structured interviews will be carried out with 6 men who are parents and have been diagnosed as HIV positive. The interviews will focus on topics such as diagnosis, disclosure, the interaction between the illness and parenting responsibilities and fathers’ relationships with their children. The data will be analysed using an Interpretive Phenomenological approach. The aim of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis is to explore in detail the processes through which participants make sense of their own experiences. Analysis focuses on participant's experiences, understandings, views and perceptions while also recognising that any interpretation will be coloured by the researchers own experiences and assumptions. In this way the joint reflections of the participant and the researcher produce the analytic account. IPA analysis will follow the steps outlined by authors such as Shaw (2010) and Smith and Osbourn (2003). This involves reading and re-reading transcripts, initial note-making, developing emergent themes and searching for connections across emergent themes. This occurs for each transcript and the final stage involves searching for patterns across all cases.
The results of the study will contribute to providing a deeper understanding of the experiences of fathers living with HIV . This will have implications for the enhancement of interventions and support services for these fathers and their children.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
15/NI/0058
Date of REC Opinion
27 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion