Abstract:

Abstract This is a qualitative study that had the goal to describe the perception of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS about the diagnosis, adherence to treatment and psychological variables in regards of the disease. The research took place between May and November of 2018. For this study, we surveyed pregnant women going through prenatal care in a tertiary-lever university hospital, in the interior of the state of São Paulo. We applied an structured interview script, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Ways of Coping with Problems Scale. Four categories were created: HIV Diagnosis, Knowledge about HIV, Treatment and Adherence to Drug Treatment. It found that the women’s perception is of a diagnosis with no possibility of cure, but with a perspective of quality of life for them and fetus/newborn. Three participants showed emotional vulnerability with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, and all of them showed coping focused on religion. The results raised an alarm to healthcare teams about the need for support and multidisciplinary monitoring that favors psychosocial support to the pregnant women, in order to help to change of maintain adherence behaviors.

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