An analysis over time (1990-2000) of the experiences of living with HIV.

Qualitative data from three research projects carried out in France are used to analyze changes in the experiences of persons living with HIV during the 10-year period 1990-2000. During this decade, 167 in-depth interviews were conducted with 118 HIV-positive people in 1990-1991, 1996-1997 and 1998-2000. A three-fold typology--"continuity with drawbacks", "discontinuity and reversal" and "withdrawn"--is proposed to account for the experiences of living with HIV in relation to changes over time and the discovery of new treatment, i.e. highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), in the spring of 1996.