ORCID
Julie Gerhardt: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4645-6057
Abstract
What follows is based on the interweaving of three points of view each of which contributes to an understanding of the experience of living with Hepatitis B: (i) as the mother of a daughter who was diagnosed with HBV at 5 months and who still, at age 22, carries traces of the surface antigen in her blood; (ii) as a participant in the Hepatitis B Foundation’s (HBF) “Storytellers” program in which those impacted by the disease meet with others to share experiences and narrate a short video posted on the HBF website; and (iii) as a PhD research psychologist-turned-psychoanalyst interested in both conscious and unconscious beliefs, emotions and motives which float in and out of awareness and drive behavior. The intent of this paper is to describe 5 psychosocial dimensions for examining the stressful experience of those living with Hepatitis B: (i) Stigma/Shame; (ii) Anxiety; (iii) Guilt/Envy, (iv) Conflict with the Caretaker; and (v) Loss vs. Engagement. This framework is put forth for probing more deeply the nature of the psychosocial impact on those living with Hepatitis B.
Recommended Citation
Gerhardt J. Psychosocial Dimensions of Living with Hep B: Notes from the Field: The Lived Experience of a Mother Raising a Daughter with Hepatitis B. Patient Experience Journal. 2025; 12(2):30-34. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.2029.
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