Spirituality among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Spirituality is considered a protective factor against negative health outcomes and risk behaviors among people living with HIV. To limit the spread of HIV infection among young men who have sex with men, knowledge of spirituality is needed in healthcare services. This study aimed to explore spirituality among young men who have sex with men living with HIV and 20 to 24 years old in Thailand. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 10 participants employing in-depth interviews at a tertiary hospital in lower northern Thailand January-August 2017. The data were analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. The rich findings provide insights into the spiritual dimension from a Thai Buddhist perspective among young men who have sex with men living with HIV for promoting health and changing their risky behaviors. Four main themes arose from data analysis: 1) experiencing spiritual distress following HIV diagnosis (fear of stigmatization, self-loathing, and hopelessness); 2) accepting the truth of having HIV (acknowledging previous misbehaviors, disclosing their HIV status, and seeking ways to remain healthy); 3) increasing good karma to prolong life (refraining from transmitting HIV to others and avoiding drinking alcohol to reduce risk behaviors); and 4) gaining spiritual well-being to live with HIV (having a spiritual anchor, having life goals, living with hope, and living in the moment). These findings contribute to the development of models or interventions to support young men who have sex with men living with HIV to reduce risk behaviors and promote spiritual well-being by using the religious teaching and religious practices as a guideline.