Mothers living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may experience adjustment issues due to their illness progression and the risk of intergenerational transmission of the disease. Existing research on women living with HIV has focused on how psychological transitions such as child care and breastfeeding influence maternal life, and how socioeconomic status, stigma, and social support impact psychological transitions. Little is known about the experiences of mothers living with HIV in Indonesia. This study employed interpretive phenomenological methods to learn about the experiences of mothers living with HIV in West Papua, Indonesia. Twenty mothers with HIV were invited to participate in a study at a public health center. Themes identified were emotional reaction to HIV diagnosis, destruction of relationships, treatment burden, emotional coping, motherhood, and uncertainty about their child's future status. Formal and informal peer-led support groups may be practical tools for increasing partner communication and antiretroviral therapy uptake and decreasing HIV vertical transmission, especially in low-resource contexts.
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