Windows to work: exploring employment-seeking behaviors of persons with HIV/AIDS through Photovoice.

The advent of health-enhancing protease inhibitors and highly active antiretroviral therapy has enhanced the longevity for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), increasing the number of PLWHA returning to employment. Based on community-based participatory research, the Photovoice method was used to identify the influences upon the employment-seeking behavior of 11 PLWHA who were unemployed and had full-time employment histories after their initial HIV/AIDS diagnosis. Through group discussion and photograph presentations, participants identified 19 factors which they grouped into five categories: (a) advantages of employment, (b) disadvantages of employment, (c) referents influencing employment decisions, (d) facilitators for employment, and (e) impediments to employment. Participants utilized these findings to develop action plans to address the employment-seeking behavior of PLWHA. The findings also suggest the utility of Photovoice to enhance employment outcomes for PLWHA.