“Psychosocial Dimensions of Living with Hep B: Notes from the Field The Lived Experience of a Mother Raising a Daughter with Hepatitis B”

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.