Older and Younger African Americans' Story Schemas and Experiences of Living with HIV/AIDS

This paper reports findings from a study that compared older (n = 21, ≥ age 50) and younger (n = 96, ≤ age 49) African Americans' stories (N = 117) of living with HIV/AIDS to determine how they make sense of the experience. The purpose was to: (1) identify and describe the cultural models African Americans use to inform their stories of living with HIV/AIDS, and (2) to compare older and younger adults' HIV stories. To characterize the cultural models engaged in the telling of these HIV stories, we conducted schema analysis. Analyses documented six diverse schemas, ranging from "Stages of Grief", "12 Steps", "Wake Up Call", "Continuity of Life", to "Angry and Fearful", "Shocked and Amazed". Comparison conducted by age group showed older adults more frequently expressed their story of living with HIV as "Stages of Grief" and "Continuity of Life", whereas younger adults expressed their stories as "12 Steps" and "Wake Up Call". Findings contribute by documenting African American stories of living with HIV/AIDS, important heterogeneity in cultural schemas for experiences of living with HIV and differences by age group. These findings may help by identifying the cultural resources as well as challenges experienced with aging while living with HIV/AIDS for African Americans.