Meaning-making as a coping strategy among transgender women living with HIV in Indonesia

This study aimed to understand how transgender women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cope psychologically with the infection. A qualitative inquiry was conducted with 29 participants in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data analysis was guided by the framework analysis for qualitative research. The findings indicated that acceptance of HIV status by an individual was related to the person’s awareness of personal behaviours leading to HIV acquisition. This meaning-making, “a psychological process” helped their attitudes towards thinking positively about life, stopped self-blaming and acted as a mechanism to cope with the challenging circumstances related to HIV infection. Participants’ awareness of the importance of friends and families who cared and loved them, the responsibility they had for their families and the willingness to contribute meaningfully to other people living with HIV (PLHIV) were additional supportive attributes that contributed to participants’ coping with the HIV stressful situations. The processes of finding the meaning supported participants’ commitment to undergo HIV treatment and being involved in activities for self-help, while helping other PLHIV to cope with their situations. The findings indicate the need for sustained counselling to help PLHIV to find positive meanings out of their condition.