In this enlightening book, you’ll explore the life struggles and adaptations leading up to and following HIV infection in young Americans. The cases presented in Youths Living with HIV envisage a variety of experiences of youths living with HIV and AIDS, including individuals of different races, of each gender, and of different sexual preferences. This discussion of the private “troubles” and experiences of youths helps you understand and identify dependent and larger public issues surrounding HIV infection and AIDS, and demonstrates the need for comprehensive and targeted intervention and preventive measures. This book is the result of the first federally funded multi-site study to research, develop, and provide HIV education and prevention specifically to young Americans. Detailed narrative descriptions were collected by ethnographers of the Joven Project, which started in October 1992, and explored and documented the lives of youths living with HIV and AIDS over a two-year period. This ethnographic exploratory study was one component of a larger National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) supported Secondary AIDS Education and Prevention Program. Youths Living with HIV reconstructs the past and present struggles that young people living with HIV and AIDS face(d), employing qualitative field interviews. Larger and interrelated developmental, social, cultural, and political factors are also illustrated and discussed. As you read through the chapters, you’ll gain insight into: youth development--coming of age, sexual development, and risk-taking behaviors gay development and activity--coming out, establishing relationships, and power-imbalanced/cross-generational relationships self-harmful behaviors--drug use, sex, and poverty notification and reaction to infection impression management and disclosure of infection status adaptation to HIV status and necessary life changes sexual activity and relationships after infection social worlds and support networks/pathological or destructive networks availability and success of existing AIDS-related services future orientation and life expectations Whether you’re a counselor, teacher, policymaker, physician, mental health professional, social worker, or advocate who specializes in or focus on youth development, gay youths, field methodology (qualitative research), public health, women’s health, drug use, sex work, and/or AIDS, you will find Youths Living with HIV essential to understanding and helping this affected population. Reviews: “Provides a picture of the past and present struggles that young people with HIV and AIDS face on a daily basis. . . . An important piece of research that looks into the lives of our young people infected with this virus. It provides us a chance to try to understand how these people feel about themselves, people around them, and especially, their past sexual experiences and the people with whom they shared these experiences. . . . A highly recommended book for all school libraries and should be a major background source of information for academic research libraries.” AIDS Book Review Journal “A unique and informative analysis of what is happening on the streets of America for youth in need. . . . Luna has transcribed the thoughts and experiences and organized the incredible wisdom without altering its powerful voice. . . . A wonderful resource, capturing great information on prevention from young people living with HIV.” AIDS Education and Prevention “Allows an unadorned glimpse into lives unknown to most health professionals.” Canadian Family Physician “A key tool for finding some answers for the future situation. . . . Brings up excruciating aspects of the underground world and demystifies all the hypocrisy involved. . . . A MUST FOR ALL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, PEOPLE CONCERNED WITH YOUTHS, AND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GO BEYOND THE STEREOTYPES SURROUNDING the HIV/AIDS pandemic.” Evelyn Eisenstein, MD, Director of the Adolescent Clinic and Assistant Professor, The State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil “Luna’s interviews tell a story that SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE WHO WORKS WITH AT-RISK YOUTHS OR THOSE WITH AIDS. . . . The matter-of-fact information presented through interviews with youths who are HIV-positive and then develop AIDS, elucidates the consequences of being positive and the complexities of living with it as a young person.” Robert W. Deisher, MD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington Contents: Contents Acknowledgments Introduction “Famous Runaway”: Jose “All These Personal Stories”: Jack “Looking for a Friend”: Joshua “Making Up for Lost Time”: David “The Courage to Heal”: Marie “That Will Be Extra”: Ethan “Better and in a Different Way”: Jared “Use the System to My Advantage”: Lisa “My Track Record”: Mark “A Different Future”: Ana “Everything Will Fall into Place”: Rose Discussion Conclusions Afterword: “Sail Forth to Seek and Find”: Andy Bibliography Index from the publisher's website
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