Table 1 Examples of the coding procedure
Quotes | Empirical close coding | Group | Initial theme | Sub-theme | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
‘I think that's what they need, or what we all need. It’s a break. Stop being afraid, stop feeling alone, stop being the only one, just being together’ (P7) | Free from the feeling of being alone | Mutual experiences of belonging | Mutual support | Reciprocal backing between the supporter and the service user | Emotionally honest conversations promote mutual support |
‘There is something about credibility, in that you live with it yourself that has a greater effect and a different effect than with healthcare professionals’ (P2) | It gives greater credibility that I have experienced it myself | Role model | The power of a good example | Credible lived experiences | Negotiation of preconceptions create reframed understandings of HIV |
Not everyone gets what is being said. People have a lot of pictures and ideas in their head so that what is said is sorted into the pictures that are already there, which can be very distorted according to reality (P8) | Fear of stigma because of preconceptions | Confronting preconceptions | To challenge the individual preconception of HIV | Replicating positive experiences | Negotiation of preconceptions create reframed understandings of HIV |