Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Dept. of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-205).

People who have been diagnosed HIV positive often experience distress and anxiety due to uncertainties pertaining to the implications of an HIV positive status. Research has shown that support groups have always been a way for people to cope with the distress and stressful circumstances associated with health conditions such as HIV. This research investigated the role of face to face support groups in the lives of those living with HIV. The primary focus of this research project is to provide an in-depth exploration of HIV positive individuals‟ experiences of being in a support group. The study aims to explore the positive and negative experiences of being in an HIV support group and aims to gain an understanding of the role support plays in the lives of those living with HIV. A qualitative research design was used to explore the above mentioned aim. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five individuals, (three women and two men) who had experienced HIV support groups. The interviews were transcribed and then analysed according to the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The findings of this study revealed five super-ordinate themes, which revealed not only the positive and negative experiences of being in a support group, but also the challenges that the participants‟ experienced before joining the group. Getting a sense of the participants‟ experience before joining the group allowed the researcher to get a better understanding of how useful or not the support group has been in helping them deal with the challenges of living with HIV. The themes included: „struggling to survive after diagnosis‟, „struggling to cope: adopting negative coping skills‟, „experiencing a turning-point: a will to survive‟, „attending support group: a sweet experience‟ and lastly, „attending support groups: a bitter experience‟. Findings suggest that for these participants, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages of being in a support group. Therefore this study suggests that face to face support groups are a viable and even necessary option for support. These findings support previous research and literature in regards to the importance of social support in the form of support groups in effectively assisting HIV positive people in their journey to adjust to the consequence of living with HIV.

A substantial amount of international research exists examining the impact of HIV/AIDS on health care workers. However, the impact of HIV/AIDS on nursing staff in South Africa has been relatively neglected. The primary objective of this study was to examine the impact of the AIDS pandemic on the subjective work experiences of peri-urban nurses in South Africa. The study explored the relationship between external changes in the nurses' working environment and their internal psychological responses for negotiating this change. A focus group of eight nurses was conducted, followed by indepth individual interviews with three group members. A grounded theory method was utilised to process and analyse the data. The research showed that nurses experience two forms of change. It was suggested that nurses respond to external changes in a manner designed to maximise their control and sense of meaning in an unpredictable environment. This accommodation involves the restoration of an internal psychological equilibrium through a process of balancing positive and negative experiences. The attainment of such an acceptable equilibrium may allow for diminished stress, increased satisfaction or fulfilment and the validation of personal and professional significance.

Thesis (MTech (Nursing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009. / By the end of 2007 an estimated 22 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 1.8 million (33%) were children under the age of 15 years. The epidemic has left 11.6 million children orphaned by AIDS. Zimbabwe has an estimated population of 12 million people; its HIV infection rate amongst all adults was estimated at 33.7% in 2002, decreased to 15.1% in 2007: most likely due to extensive prevention campaigns that were held by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, in partnership with other stakeholders. Despite the decrease in infection rate, 1.3 million people live with the HIV/AIDS and 140 000 have died. United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) (2008) reported that of the 1.3 million people 120 000 were children and 1 million children had been orphaned due to AIDS in Zimbabwe. Only 3% of children living with HIV/AIDS were on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) due to lack of antiretroviral (ARV) paediatric formulations drugs. The purpose of the study is to determine what palliative care services are available for children diagnosed with AIDS in Harare, Zimbabwe and whether the services provided meet the palliative care needs of the children. The aims of the study are to: describe the palliative care services offered by the public health sector to children diagnosed with AIDS; describe the extent of palliative care services offered by NGOs sector to children diagnosed with AIDS; describe what children diagnosed with AIDS perceive as their care needs; and to compare the needs of the children with the services provided.

M.A. / The human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV), a virus which causes an illness known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is spreading at an alarming rate in South Africa. The exact number of people already infected by this virus is unknown, since the epidemic can only be measured by the number of reported incidents of AIDS cases. Van Bilj on (1994:7) believes that the most accurate prediction is perhaps the result of estimations based on preventative studies, projections and mathematical models. hi short, HIV/AIDS is today widely regarded as a serious problem, which affects people economically, politically, ethically and socially. Lachman (undated) considered the ethical and social implications of HIV/AIDS as follows: the first is to protect the public's health; the second is to protect the inherent rights of AIDS patients and HIV-positive people who, although they seem to be healthy, are in actual fact sufferers; the third involves consideration of the allocation of scarce resources to people with HIV/AIDS and other groups in need of health care. The seventh national annual survey of women attending antenatal clinics, conducted by the Department of Health during October/November 1996 indicated that more than 2.4 million South Africans were HIV positive at that stage. More specifically, the level of HIV infection amongst the total population in the provinces was estimated as follows: Western Cape - 3,09%, Northern Cape - 6,47%, Northern Province - 7,96%, Eastern Cape - 8,10%, Gauteng - 15,49%, Free State - 17,49%, Mpumalanga - 15,77%, KwaZulu Natal - 19,90% and North West - 25,13%. According to this survey, North West has the highest level of HIV infection, and Western Cape the lowest. Initially this epidemic mainly involved white homosexual men. Today it is mostly found among heterosexuals and is increasing among mothers and children. The development and intensive utilization of HIV testing of blood transfusion resulted in better control of blood donation in South Africa and it is still being improved. Van Biljon (1994:8) believes that over the last few years the disease became more prevalent in black communities. Most of the reported AIDS cases fall in the age group 20 to 39 which represents the largest portion of the economically active population. From the results of some research projects conducted in the work situation it can be stated that many of the potential work-place problems associated with AIDS may stem from a lack of understanding of how the virus is passed on. Employers can help to promote understanding by providing information and encouraging thorough informed discussion of the issues. Trade union leaders should also play an important part in assisting employers to develop policies which will make the life of HIV infected people better. This is an essential feature of any company's AIDS policy.

Ph.D. / The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has taken on pandemic proportions world wide, providing the health care system with the greatest challenge since its existence. At present, infection with the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is incurable, fatal and dangerously contagious influencing the health of the public as well as exerting profound effects on political, social and economic circumstances of the world. The challenge was and still is, to develop an effective treatment method for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and /or Clinical AIDS. Up to the present time no effective treatment method has been found, as the retroviral agents typically only cause a temporary inhibition of the progression of the HIV and not a permanent cessation of the activity of the virus. In the absence of any pharmacological treatment, behavioral interventions and in particular biopsychosocial interventions utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy and ergometric aerobic exercise take on particular importance as adjunctive treatment methods, especially during the asymptomatic and early symptomatic HIV, (CDC stages 2 and 3 and WR stages 2-4 A), but non-Clinical AIDS stages. Adding Electromyographic-feedback assisted relaxation training to the above therapeutic modalities increased the likelihood of addressing specific physiological variables associated with HIV-seropositivity, and served as a direct operant intervention in indirectly enhancing immune system functioning, through psychophysiological mechanisms or by means of the relaxation effect which it produces. In South-Africa the HIV\ AIDS situation is further compounded by a number of social and economic factors in a society expressing rapid political changes against a background of apartheid. Herein, issues of poverty, violence, proper medical care for HIV sufferers, especially in the rural areas where antiviral medications and other health services are not easily accessible, inadequate housing and unemployment place even greater burdens on the already under-served HIV sufferer. With the above aspects in mind and considering the seriousness of the AIDS pandemic in South-Africa as well as the absence of effective pharmacological agents in curing this disease, an 8-week combined biopsychosocial treatment intervention utilizing individualised cognitive-behavioral therapy, aerobic exercise and Electromyographic-feedback assisted relaxation training was developed. The objective of this research was to determine whether the combined biopsychosocial treatment intervention that had been developed would serve as a successful adjunctive treatment method to the present pharmacological treatments, especially during the asymptomatic and early symptomatic stages of HIV-infection where the apparent sluggishness of immunological functioning may be most amenable to interventions that enhance effector functions and communication between CD4 T-lymphocytes, CD8 T-lymphocytes, macrophages and B cells via increases in lymphokine production. The intervention further aimed to decrease depression, physiological tension and anxiety and fatigue levels, as well as increase vigor-activity levels important in the overall health status of HIV-seropositive patients. The intervention was implemented on a group of South- African asymptomatic and early symptomatic (CDC stages 2 and 3 and WR stages 2-4 A) HIV- seropositives. The results of the research revealed no statistically significant between-group differences in any of the cellular immune measurements. Clinically and statistically significant withingroup differences were however found in baseline to post-test measures of total lymphocyte counts in subjects of the experimental group. Statistically significant between-group differences were also found in the tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, fatigue-inertia and vigor-activity levels of experimental subjects as compared to control group subjects. The study further found that subjects who recorded lower depression and tension-anxiety levels at baseline and post-intervention phases had higher CD4 -T lymphocyte counts and therefore, increased resistance to HIV-related infections and diseases. The study also revealed significant within-group differences in terms of the baseline to post-test relaxation effect of the EMG-feedback assisted relaxation training, as well as clinically significant within-group increases in the CD4-T lymphocyte counts of experimental subjects who experienced this relaxation effect.

At present there is no cure or vaccine for Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) therefore prevention programmes are seen as the only means of reducing the spread of the disease. HIV/AIDS education programmes in schools have been identified as the most effective intervention because billions of children can be reached worldwide and because schools are the one social institution with which most children come into contact. Young people in particular have been identified as the age group most in need of a preventative programme. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of grade six and seven learners with regard to the Life Skills programme focusing on HIV/AIDS education in the Port Elizabeth region. In order to fulfill the above aim a qualitative study was undertaken within an exploratory descriptive approach. A non-probability, convenient sample of six schools were selected. Focus groups, utilising an unstructured interview, were used to gather qualitative data about the perceptions of grade six and seven learners. The focus groups consisted of 10-12 participants. The data was thematically analysed using Tesch’s approach. The major findings of the present study included the following: 1. Learners’ perceptions of completing the questionnaire were generally positive in nature. Negative perceptions related to practical issues such as the length of the questionnaire and the time of administration. 2. Learner’s perceptions of the programme were generally positive. 3. Learners’ felt more comfortable discussing HIV/AIDS with parents and teachers. xi 4. Learners’ appeared to be well informed about high-risk behaviour related to HIV/AIDS and existing myths. 5. Contact with HIV+ people is non-existent. However, learner’s felt that the programme had fostered positive attitudes towards HIV+ people. 6. Learner’s felt that schools had an important role to play in sharing information about HIV/AIDS. These findings seem to indicate positive outcomes for the programme as a whole, in that is was successful in terms of conveying information regarding HIV/AIDS; it led to positive changes in attitudes, especially towards HIV+ people; and it confirmed the school as the best setting for implementing HIV/AIDS Life Skills programmes.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Technology: Education, Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / As the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa accelerates, HIV sero-prevalence studies report increasing risk among young people in the general population. These young people are found predominantly in schools. It is for this reason that the researcher embarked on this study. The emphasis of the study is to evaluate the management of HIV/AIDS in secondary public schools in South Africa, particularly, an overview of the policy / M

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / This study was conducted with standard five children on the East Rand. The aim with this project was to evaluate the knowledge of the children on AIDS and to see whether the information they received was in fact correct. The following questions were asked: what do children really know about AIDS? is the information they receive, correct? where do children get their information from? what more do they want to know about AIDS? The aim of this study was to give reliable answers to these questions. The respondents were five hundred standard five children from five schools. The respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of fifteen questions. The results of the empirical research show that children have a lot of questions regarding AIDS and they need good guidance. Based on this fact one can recommend that the inclusion of more guidance regarding AIDS in the school curriculum should seriously be considered. The following specific findings have been made: No significant relationships has been found between sex and their knowledge of AIDS. Children know that AIDS is a deadly virus disease. There is much confusion of how one can contract AIDS. It could be that the children did not get the right information. Many of the respondents were of the opinion that AIDS could soon be cured and that it is not as serious as it is made out to be. Children are not sure whether one could get AIDS from having sex with different people...