Supporting People Living With HIV

The HIV/AIDS epidemic, now in its fifth decade, is one of the most consequential health, social, scientific, and political challenges of the modern era. Since its emergence, social work has played a critical role in service provision and advocacy on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Tremendous biomedical advancements over the years have fundamentally transformed HIV from an invariably fatal illness to a chronic and manageable condition. As the profile of HIV has changed over time, less is known about the contemporary experiences of social workers engaged with PLWHA. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with early career social workers engaged with PLWHA (n = 22). Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). A modified socioecological model, complemented by life course theory, provides the conceptual framework informing the research process. Findings are organized along the five domains of the socioecological model-individual; interpersonal; organizational; community; and policy and societal. Three unifying themes emerge: making meaning of HIV; social work in the shadows of uncertainty; and HIV as a social work lens.