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In the Philippines, rising HIV cases and persistent stigma, discrimination, and cultural barriers affect people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study explored PLWHA’s emotional, social, and psychological realities through in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten participants in Pasig City, using thematic analysis to identify core patterns and meanings.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exploring-the-lived-experiences-of-people-living-with-hivaids-plwha/323406/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/exploring-the-lived-experiences-of-people-living-with-hivaids-plwha/323406.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Eden","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-27","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",14,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What is the main purpose of the study?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"To explore the lived experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the Philippines, focusing on emotional, social, and psychological realities.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What research approach and data collection method were used?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was used, guided by Husserl and Moustakas, using epoche or bracketing to reduce researcher bias. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What key findings emerged from the participants’ narratives?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Participants described an initial journey marked by emotional distress, stigma, and self-stigmatization, followed by gradual acceptance and resilience. Family, social, workplace, and healthcare support systems were highlighted as important coping resources.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},323406,1790158947,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":44,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},1374391974468,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Exploring The Lived Experiences of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)  \nElibert D. Batiao, CPHR, CHRA, CLSSYB1, Araceli B. Paster, PhD, CHRA, CSPE, CRS2  \n1 Master of Arts in Psychology, Graduate School, City of Cabuyao, Laguna 2City of Cabuyao, Laguna  \nABSTRACT: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remain significant global and national public health concerns despite advances in antiretroviral therapy that have improved survival and quality of life. In the Philippines, the rapid increase in HIV cases, coupled with persistent stigma, discrimination, and cultural barriers, continues to affect the well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) . While existing studies largely focus on epidemiological and clinical aspects, there is limited understanding of the lived experiences of PLWHA from a qualitative perspective. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of PLWHA in the Philippines, focusing on their emotional, social, and psychological realities. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological research design was employed. Data were collected through indepth, semi-structured interviews with ten (10) purposively selected participants from a communitybased organization in Pasig City. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify core patterns and meanings in participants’ narratives.  \nFindings revealed that participants experienced a complex journey marked by initial emotional distress, stigma, and selfstigmatization, followed by gradual acceptance and resilience. Key themes highlighted the importance of family, social, workplace, and healthcare support systems in coping and adjustment. Despite ongoing discrimination and psychological challenges, participants demonstrated strength through adaptive coping strategies, meaning-making, and personal growth.  \nThe study underscores the need for strengthened psychosocial support, inclusive policies, accessible counseling services, and community-based interventions to reduce stigma and improve the overall well-being and quality of life of PLWHA.  \nKEYWORDS: People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), lived experiences, phenomenology.  \nI. INTRODUCTION  \nHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remain major global public health concerns. By the end of 2024, an estimated 40.8 million individuals were living with HIV, including 1.4 million children and 39.4 million adults (UNAIDS/WHO, 2025) . Advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) have transformed HIV into a manageable chronic condition, allowing individuals to live longer, healthier lives. In the developed world, antiretroviral therapy has greatly improved prognosis and increased survival rates (Gilroy, 2025) . Despite these medical advancements, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) continue to face stigma, discrimination, and barriers to healthcare access, which significantly affect their quality of life and emotional well-being (Fauk et al., 2021; Tang et al., 2025) .  \nIn the Philippines, the regions with the most number of newly reported cases in April to June 2023 were NCR, CALABARZON (4A), Central Luzon (3), Western  \nVisayas (6), Central Visayas (7), and Davao Region (11) . Consequently, the same regions reported the most number of cases from January to June 2023, altogether accounting for 6,510 (74%) of the total reported cases, while 2,306 (26%) were from other regions, and two (\u003C1%) reported an overseas permanent residence (DOH, 2023) .  \nAdditionally, HIV prevalence is rising rapidly, with at least 57 new diagnoses daily in 2025. New HIV cases increased by 550% from 4,400 in 2010 to 29,600 in 2024, leaving an estimated 252,800 Filipinos living with HIV (DOH, 2025) . Cultural expectations, family pressures, and misconceptions about HIV transmission further complicate the experiences of PLWHA. While previous research has focused on epidemiology and clinical treatment, there is limited understanding of the personal, social, and e","cbCailVaDOLmUFgH","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCailVaDOLmUFgH","pdf",1562018,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Methodology\n## Research Design\n## Research Locale\n## Population and Sampling","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of the study?\",\"answer\":\"To explore the lived experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the Philippines, focusing on emotional, social, and psychological realities.\"},{\"question\":\"What research approach and data collection method were used?\",\"answer\":\"A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was used, guided by Husserl and Moustakas, using epoche or bracketing to reduce researcher bias. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically.\"},{\"question\":\"What key findings emerged from the participants’ narratives?\",\"answer\":\"Participants described an initial journey marked by emotional distress, stigma, and self-stigmatization, followed by gradual acceptance and resilience. Family, social, workplace, and healthcare support systems were highlighted as important coping resources.\"}]","Exploring The Lived Experiences of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) | PDF",1789965142,23]