Human association as a factor influencing wellness in homosexual men with human immunodeficiency virus disease.

In-depth interviews of 29 homosexual men with varying degrees of human immunodeficiency virus illness were conducted using grounded theory methodology. The study participants indicated that the need for intimacy and community were of paramount importance to living well and suggested that feeling connected to others was a synergistic process that promoted an existential/ spiritual understanding of one's self as being well. Clinical recommendations for nurses include the use of intimacy-building care strategies that are capable of helping clients construct meaning of their experience to enhance individual well-being.