Table 1General characteristics of participants.
No. |
Sex |
Age (y) |
Educational level |
Route of infection |
Detection time (years ago) |
Occupation |
1 |
Female |
69 |
Elementary school |
Acupuncture, Transfusion |
26 |
Full-time worker |
2 |
Female |
60 |
High school |
Acupuncture |
20 |
House wife |
3 |
Male |
45 |
High school |
Drug, Tattoo |
11 |
Self employment |
4 |
Male |
59 |
High school |
Acupuncture |
10 |
Religious man |
5 |
Female |
60 |
Middle school |
Piercing, Dental treatment |
2 |
House wife |
6 |
Male |
57 |
High school |
Drugs |
15 |
Self employment |
7 |
Male |
49 |
High school |
Drug, Tattoo |
4 |
Crewman |
8 |
Female |
63 |
Elementary school |
Acupuncture |
3 |
House wife |
9 |
Male |
56 |
High school |
Acupuncture, Tattoo |
12 |
Self employment |
10 |
Female |
64 |
Elementary school |
Tattoo |
3 |
House wife |
11 |
Male |
59 |
High school |
Drug |
15 |
Self employment |
Table 2Cultural theme, categories, and properties.
Cultural theme (1) |
Categories (4) |
Properties (16) |
Less known illness, less-familiar illness |
My illness discovered by accident |
Uncertainty over the incurable disease |
|
Regret over the reckless life in the past |
Unexpected responses from & ignorance of people around me |
Shaken life |
Disappointment to medical staff who did not explain properly |
|
Fear for the development of the disease |
Alert against indiscreet supplementary & alternative therapies |
Scary but inevitable treatment method |
Frustration from the side effects of the existing standard treatments |
|
Encouragement from people around me |
|
A slowly developing hope in difficult time |
Precious life that can't be wasted |
Thorough medication compliance |
|
Expectation for the removal of stigma |
|
My intention to be totally changed |