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Table 3 Impact of drugs and perceived quality of life

From: Drug use and antiretroviral therapy (ART) interactions: a qualitative study to explore the knowledge, beliefs, adherence, and quality of life of people living with HIV taking ART and illicit drugs

Categories

N

Segment

Impact of drugsa

 Negative impact on physical health

14

Of course, I’ve caught everything, everything!…that is, every 3 months I had to go to Center for Sexually Transmitted Diseases like… My penis festers, I don’t know what festers… my throat… I have…! (Interview S-4)

 Negative impact on the social sphere

11

Then the couple relationships, the second-to-last… the second-to-last misfired a lot due to drug use because, at that time, I was working at night and I consumed continuously on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and then during the week, you’re wrecked! Besides, sexually it does not work. Your partner more or less has to pay for your bad temper… (Interview M-3)

 Negative impact on the psychological sphere

6

Well, for starters I realized, when I started taking drugs, that they leave you… that is, sometimes it isn’t worthwhile, I mean, that even if you keep doing it, I am aware that the next day, I am psychologically in a very bad way. Psychologically they leave you wrecked… that is, when I take drugs, the next day, I cannot be alone, I cannot be alone! I have to be with someone, because it reminds me a lot, a lot of the first year when I was infected. (Interview V-2)

Quality of life

 Positive discourse

8

The day after I take drugs I feel terrible, but I want to experiment… But my quality of life very well. Socially great. With the family super good, because I have everything super normalized… (Interview V-2)

 Negative discourse

8

Because of the abstinence syndrome, I have a horrible time, very bad. Several days a week I feel terrible. Therefore my quality of life is awful (Interview B-1)

 Ambivalent discourse: general positive rating but with specific domains of dissatisfaction

5

… I’m much better at a personal level with myself. And I’m OK, if I didn’t have this (HIV), about which people must be informed, I would be fine. Health-wise, I feel good, regarding future prospects, I am well. The only thing, I lack a little bit of environment, which must still be built (Interview B-4)

  1. ART antiretroviral therapy
  2. aResponses that allowed multiple coding