This qualitative study was designed to explore the unique meanings people living with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia attach to quality of life (QoL). Open-ended interview questions guided the interview process. Analysis of data revealed the following themes: ability to maintain life functioning, describing QoL before getting sick and current hardships; isolation and the desire for connection with others, describing how perceived stigmatization, discrimination, and alienation affect QoL; anticipating the future, describing fears about future QoL; and reflection, describing the effect of vulnerable relationships and regrets on QoL. For the participants of this study, secrets and silence, selective disclosure, living in the present, and hopefulness were means of promoting achievement of QoL outcomes of being able to meet basic needs, having a sense of belonging, and having a safe and caring connection with others.
Barroso, J. (1997). Social support and long-term survivors of AIDS. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 19(5), 554-582.
2.
Benner, P. (1985). Quality of life: A phenomenological perspective on explanation, prediction, and understanding in nursing science. Advances in Nursing Science, 8(1), 1-14.
3.
Catanzaro, M. (1988). Using qualitative analytical techniques. In N. F. Woods & M. Catanzaro (Eds.), Nursing research: Theory and practice (pp. 437-456). St Louis, MO: C. V. Mosby.
4.
Catolico, O. (1997). Psychological well-being of Cambodian women in resettlement. Advances in Nursing Science, 19(4), 75-84.
5.
Church, F. (1996). Life lines. Holding on and letting go. Boston: Beacon.
6.
Gaut, D. E. (Ed.). (1993). A global agenda for caring. New York: National League for Nursing Press.
7.
Gill, T. M., & Feinstein, A. R. (1994). A critical appraisal of the quality of quality-of-life measurements. Journal of the American Medical Association, 272(8), 619-631.
8.
Green, L. (1998). Lived lives and social suffering: Problems and concerns in medical anthropology. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 12(1), 3-7.
9.
Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1989). Fourth generation evaluation. London: Sage.
10.
Holzemer, W. L., & Wilson, H. S. (1995). Quality of life and the spectrum of HIV infection. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 13, 3-29.
11.
Jones, E., & Kay, M. (1992). Instrumentation in cross-cultural research. Nursing Research, 41(3), 186-188.
12.
Kamm, H. (1998). Cambodia: Report from a stricken land. New York: Arcade Publishing.
13.
Leininger, M. (Ed.). (1991). Culture care diversity and universality: A theory of nursing. New York: National League for Nursing Press.
14.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
15.
Lipson, J. G., & Meleis, A. I. (1989). Methodological issues in research with immigrants. Medical Anthropology, 12, 103-115.
16.
Martin, M. E., & Henry, M. (1989). Cultural relativity and poverty. Public Health Nursing, 6(1), 28-34.
17.
Nussbaum, M. (2000). Women and human development: The capabilities approach. New York: Cambridge University Press.
18.
Phan, H., & Patterson, L. (1994). Men are gold, women are cloth. A report on the potential for HIV/AIDS spread in Cambodia and implications for HIV/AIDS education. Cambodia: Care International.
19.
Powell-Cope, G. M. (1995). The experiences of gay couples affected by HIV infection. Qualitative Health Research, 5(1), 36-62.
20.
Ragsdale, D., Kotarba, J. A., & Morrow, J. R. (1992). Quality of life of hospitalized persons with AIDS. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 24(4), 259-265.
21.
Roach, S. S. (1991). The call to consciousness: Compassion in today’s health world. In D. A. Gaut & M. M. Leininger (Eds.), Caring: The compassionate healer (pp. 7-17). New York: National League for Nursing Press.
22.
Scheper-Hughes, N. (1992). Death without weeping. Berkeley: University of California Press.
23.
Scheper-Hughes, N., & Lock, M. M. (1987). The mindful body: A prolegomenon to future work in medical anthropology. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 1(1), 6-41.
24.
Sohier, R. (1993). Filial reconstruction: A theory of development through adversity. Qualitative Health Research, 3(4), 465-492.
25.
UNAIDS. (2002). Epidemiological fact sheet on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections: Cambodia. Retrieved from www.unaids.org/hivaidsinfo/statistics/fact_sheets/pdfs/Cambodia_en.pdf
26.
UNIFEM. (2001). Women, gender and HIV/AIDS in East and Southeast Asia. Retrieved from www.unifem-eseasia.org/Resources/GenderAids.genderaidstop.htm
27.
Wilkinson, D. (2000). An evaluation of the MOH/NGO home care program for people with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia (International HIV/AIDS Alliance). London, UK: Author.
28.
Wilson, H. S., Hutchinson, S. A., & Holzemer, W. L. (1997). Salvaging quality of life in ethnically diverse patients with advanced HIV/AIDS. Qualitative Health Research, 7(1), 75-97.
29.
Wingood, G. M., & DiClemente, R. J. (1997). The effects of an abusive primary partner on the condom use and sexual negotiation practices of African-American women. American Journal of Public Health, 87(6), 1016-1018.
30.
Wu, A. W., Hays, R. D., Kelly, S., Malitz, F., & Bozzette, S. A. (1997). Applications of the medical outcomes study health-related quality of life measures in HIV/AIDS. Quality of Life Research, 6, 531-554.
31.
Younger, J. B. (1995). The alie nation of the sufferer. Advancesin Nursing Science, 17(4), 53-74.
