Methodology
Research design and methods
The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of
individuals affected by HIV in relation to reproductive decisionmaking
and to explore their pregnancy and childbirth trajectory so
that we could better understand their unique health and social care
needs. As the focus was on human experience as it happens, and is,
in turn, interpreted in everyday life, the methodology was designed
according to the principles of interpretative sociology. Harvey et al.
(2000) explain how interpretive sociology is ‘related to, but distinct
from phenomenology as a philosophical method’. The key difference
being that the latter is concerned with the systematic
investigation of consciousness, while interpretive sociology is more
concerned with the social construction of meaning. The framework
for the collection and analysis of data was situated within a
narrative research approach, which recognises the extent to which
the stories people tell provide a vehicle through which meaning is
recovered and re-enacted (Riessman, 1993).