"It was nice to wake up from that one" : an exploratory qualitative content analysis of vivid dreams and nightmares reported by people living with HIV/AIDS as side effects of Efavirenz
iii, 64 pages. Thesis (M.S.W.)-Smith College School for Social Work, 2014. Includes bibliographical references (pages 50-55)
Abstract
This is an exploratory, qualitative content analysis of 50 vivid dream and nightmare narratives posted to an online forum by people living with HIV/AIDS and taking the anti-HIV drug Efavirenz. It examines thematic connections among the dreams with consideration of how these themes might be linked to and reflective of complex subjective experiences of living with HIV/AIDS. This thesis demonstrates that the phenomenon of vivid dreams and nightmares as purported side effects of Efavirenz is of substantial interest to people living with HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, it argues that vivid dreams and nightmares experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS and taking Efavirenz are not simply medication side effects, but are meaningful experiences that are potentially useful in clinical social work with this population.