Health Sciences

Medical sociology

My major research focus has been the lived experience of HIV-positive women in Australia. I am particularly interested in HIV-positive women’s reproductive choices, how HIV impacts on motherhood as well as issues of stigma and disclosure. I have also explored gender differences among people living with HIV/AIDS in Australia in relation to treatment uptake and attitudes.

I have experience in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. More recently I have utilised narrative theory and method for my PhD work and have found this a very useful tool to examine the experience of HIV as a chronic illness.

Positively Female: A new study which aims to establish baseline data on social, cultural and health aspects of the experience of living with HIV that are specific to being a woman.

McDonald, K. (2006). Common Threads: Positive women discuss pregnancy, parenting and living with HIV. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University and Positive Women Victoria.

McDonald, K. (2006). The best experience of my life: HIV positive women on pregnancy and birth in Australia. In M. Tankard Reist (Ed.), Defiant Birth: Women Who Resist Medical Eugenics North Melbourne Spinifex Press.

McDonald K (2002). I was devastated to think I couldn't have a child: The role of motherhood in the lives of HIV-positive women in Australia . In Kirkman, M., Maher, J.M. and Torney Souter, K. (eds) The Fertile Imagination: Narratives of Reproduction. Meridian 18 (2): 123-141.

McDonald K, Bartos M & Rosenthal D (2000). Australian women living with HIV/AIDS are more sceptical than men about antiretroviral treatments. AIDS Care, 13(1), 15-26.

Bartos, M. & McDonald, K. (2000). HIV as identity, experience or career. AIDS Care, 12(3), 299-306.

McDonald, K. (2007). Do you tell? …  What do you tell? …  When do you tell?  … How do you tell?: HIV positive mothers, disclosure and stigma. HIV Australia, 5(4).

McDonald, K. (2003) Positive Women: Who are we not researching? HIV Australia, 2 (9), Newtown , NSW.

McDonald, K. (2000) A snapshot of a Complex Uncertainty: Women on health, hope and living with HIV in Australia.. Talkabout, 111, Sydney, NSW.

O’Donnell, D. & McDonald, K. (1997). Informal Carers of PLWHA are deterred from using support services, study reveals. National AIDS Bulletin, 11(5), 9.

McDonald K. 'Explanations of reproductive decision making among HIV positive women in Australia.' XVI International AIDS Conference, Toronto, August. 2006

McDonald K. M., Kirkman M., 'HIV-positive women's use of and attitudes to antiretroviral treatments during pregnancy in Australia.' XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, July. 2002

McDonald, K., Bartos, M., de Visser, R. & Grierson, J. 'Women and antiretroviral treatment: Gender differences in uptake and attitude.' XIII International AIDS Conference, Durban, July 2000.

McDonald, K.M., Grierson, J.W., Hurley , M.E. , Willis, J.M., and Pitts, M.K. (2002) 'Gender differences in antiretroviral uptake and attitude in Australia.' Poster at the XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, July 7-12.

Grierson J, Thorpe R, McDonald K, Pitts M (2005) 'Gendered patterns of antiretroviral uptake and experience: 1997-2003', 7th International AIDS Impact Conference, April 4-7, Cape Town, South Africa

J.W. Grierson, S. Misson, K. Mc Donald, M. Hurley, J. Willis, M.L. O'Brien (2002) 'From here to uncertainty: National shifts in ARV uptake, interruptions, experience and attitudes.' Paper presented at the XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, July 7-12

M. Hurley, J.W. Grierson, J.M. Willis, K.M. McDonald, M.K. Pitts (2002) 'HIV positive gay male sex requires new policy and education environments.' Paper presented at the XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, July 7-12.

M.E. Hurley, J.W. Grierson, K.M. McDonald, J.M. Willis, M.K. Pitts (2002) 'Aspects of 'the dark side': the gothic and macabre as components of HIV positive gay male cultures of care.' Paper presented at the XIV International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, July 7-12.

Bartos, M., McDonald, K., & Grierson, J., 'Antiretroviral treatments and HIV-positive adults' sexual practice.' XIII International AIDS Conference, Durban, July 2000.

Grierson, J., Bartos, M., deVisser, R. and McDonald, K. (2000) 'Not drowning, wavering: Mental health issues for people with HIV/AIDS post-HAART.' XXVII International Congress of Psychology, Stockholm, July 23-28.

Bartos, M., & McDonald, K., 'Contingency and solidarity in the face of AIDS.' Fourth International Conference on the Biopsychosocial Aspects of HIV Infection Conference, Ottawa, July 1999.

Bartos, M., Ezzy, D., McDonald, K., O’Donnell, D., & de Visser, R. (1998) 'Treatments, intimacy, and disclosure in the sexual practice of HIV-infected adults in Australia.' 12th World AIDS Conference, Geneva.

McDonald, K. (2006). 'Do you tell? …  What do you tell? …  When do you tell?  … How do you tell?: HIV positive mothers, disclosure and stigma.' Paper presented at the HIV, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases [HHARD] Bi-annual conference, Sydney.

McDonald, K., & Kirkman, M. (2006). 'Reducing the risk of transmission of HIV from mother to baby: How do HIV-positive women interpret the evidence?' Paper presented at the Australian Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sydney.

McDonald, K., (2003) 'HIV-positive women's attitudes to ARV during pregnancy.' Australasian Society For HIV Medicine Conference, October, Cairns, QLD.

McDonald, K., (2001) 'Treatments, health and pregnancy among women living with HIV/AIDS in Australia.' Australian Women's Health Conference, February, Adelaide .

McDonald, K., and Grierson, J., (2001) 'I believe there's more to staying healthy than these bloody drugs: differences between women and men in antiretroviral uptake and attitude.' Australasian Society For HIV Medicine Conference, October 4-7, Melbourne

McDonald, K., & Bartos, M., 'The role of motherhood in relation to HIV antiretroviral treatment.' Eleventh Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Perth, December 1999.

McDonald, K., Bartos, M., de Visser, R., Ezzy, D. & Rosenthal, D. ' "I'm not quickly jumping on the 'it's just a chronic illness now' bandwagon": Sex differences in relation to HIV anti-retroviral treatments.' 10th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Newcastle, November 1998

Saunders M, Willis J, Grierson J, McDonald K, Hurley M, Pitts M (2004) 'Investigating the social world of Aboriginal people living with HIV: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cohorts in the Australian “Futures” studies' 16th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Canberra, 2-4 September

Grierson, K McDonald, J Rule, C Johnston (2002) 'HIV Futures 3: Key Findings and Implications for services.' Paper presented at the Changing Risks, Changing Communities Conference, Sydney, 28-31 May.

Willis J, McDonald K, Saunders M & Grierson J (2002) 'HIV Futures II: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People living with HIV.' Paper presented at the Changing Risks, Changing Communities Conference, Sydney, 28-31 May.

Grierson, J., McDonald K. and de Visser, R. (2000) HIV Futures II: Implications for HIV/AIDS Organisations and Service Providers. Paper presented at the HIV/AIDS & Related Diseases (HARD) Social Research Conference, Sydney, May 13-14.

Grierson, J., Bartos, M., Ezzy, D., de Visser, R., & McDonald, K. (1998) 'A bit of us and a bit of them: the complexities of HIV community identification.'  5th HIV/AIDS and Society Conference, Sydney.

HIV Futures Five: Life as women know it. (pdf) 2007 (Thorpe, R., McDonald, K., & Grierson, J.)

The Journey Continues: Women living with HIV/AIDS in Australia. 2005 (McDonald, K., Thorpe, R., & Grierson, J.)

Juggling with HIV: The intricacies of positive women's lives in Australia today. (pdf) 2002. (K. McDonald, S. Misson, J. Grierson)

Antiretroviral treatments: similarities and differences between women and men. (pdf) Papers from the HIV Futures I and II surveys and interviews. April 2002 (K McDonald and M Hurley (eds))

Motherhood and HIV positive women in Australia. Papers from the HIV Futures I and II surveys and interviews. April 2002 (K McDonald and M Hurley (eds))

HIV Futures 3: Positive Australians on Services, Health and Well Being.  2002 (Grierson, J., Misson, S., McDonald, K., Pitts, M. and O’Brien, M.)

HIV Futures II: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Living with HIV, 2002 (Willis, J., McDonald, K., Saunders, M. and Grierson, J.)

HIV Futures II: The Health and Well-being of People with HIV/AIDS in Australia. 2000 (Grierson, J., Bartos, M., de Visser, R. & McDonald, K.)

A Complex uncertainty: Women on health, hope and living with HIV in Australia. (pdf) 2000. (K. McDonald, J. Grierson, R. de Visser & M. Bartos)

HIV Futures II: People with Haemophilia.(pdf) 2000. (K. McDonald & J. Grierson)

A Different Epidemic: HIV-positive Heterosexual Men in the HIV Futures Survey. 1999 (de Visser, R., Grierson, J., Bartos, M., McDonald, K., Ezzy, D. & Rosenthal, D.A.)

Standing on Shifting Sand: Women living with HIV/AIDS in Australia.(pdf) 1998. (K. McDonald, M. Bartos, R. de Visser, D. Ezzy & D. Rosenthal)

HIV Futures Community Report: Health, Relationships, Community and Employment. 1998 Ezzy, D.M., de Visser, R., Bartos, M., McDonald, K., O’Donnell, D. & Rosenthal, D.A.

Email: K.McDonald@latrobe.edu.au

Phone: 9285 5108