South Africa has the highest burden of HIV and AIDS in the world, yet most of these infected people are unaware of their HIV status. HIV voluntary counselling and testing is shown to have manifold benefits in improving the quality and duration of life of those infected with HIV as well as preventing the spread of infection to HIV negative people. There is a clear need for research into this area. This study therefore investigates the relationship between the social network correlates of HIV testing behaviour amongst a sample of the student population of the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, using social network analysis and the theories of social learning and social influence as the lens through which to interpret the results. This was an empirical study using data that was collected using an anonymous, self-complete, all-of-campus student survey. Five hundred and sixty-six participants completed the survey. This study employed a cross sectional design and is based on a secondary data analysis of a larger project. The data were analysed using a stepwise multiple regression. The findings show that social network size and residential diversity of participants‟ social networks were significantly associated with VCT uptake. Participants with the smallest network size were more likely to have tested for HIV than those with the largest network size, while those with the most residentially diverse networks were more likely to have tested than those with the least diverse networks. The findings suggest that some aspects of students‟ social networks influenced the likelihood of having tested for HIV, but social learning and social influence are not bound exclusively to an enabling or constraining role on VCT uptake. In order to better understand their influence, the prevailing social norms and information within a social network need to be established. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is one of the countries with the highest HIV prevalence rates worldwide and younger age groups are often disproportionately affected. Knowledge of HIV status is regarded as an important prevention strategy for reducing HIV transmission and infection and it is viewed as a means to access antiretroviral therapy. Routine HIV Counseling and Testing (RCT) can significantly increase knowledge of HIV status, but it is unclear whether RCT will be accepted if offered. The aim of this study was to determine whether the main dimensions of the Health Belief Model (HBM) namely, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits and perceived barriers can predict acceptance of RCT. A second objective of the study was to determine if the variable of the HBM, namely cue’s to action could significantly contribute to predicting acceptability of RCT. A sample of 1113 students at the University of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape Province of South Africa completed a structured questionnaire, measuring the acceptability of RCT. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data and it was found that the main dimensions of the HBM could explain 25.1% of the variance in acceptance of RCT. It was however found that the variable perceived severity did not make a significant individual contribution to predicting acceptability of RCT. The addition of the variable cues to action also did not make a significant individual contribution to the prediction of RCT. It was therefore found that the HBM could partially, but not in its entirety, predict acceptability of RCT among the student population. Interventions should therefore aim to increase perceived benefits of RCT, reduce perceived barriers to RCT and facilitate correct personal risk assessment in order to increase perceived susceptibility. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika is een van die lande met die hoogste MIV voorkomsyfers wêreldwyd en jonger ouderdomsgroepe word dikwels disproporsioneel geaffekteer. Kennis van MIV status word beskou as ’n belangrike voorkomingstrategie vir die vermindering van MIV oordrag en infektering en dit baan verder ook die weg tot antiretrovirale terapie. Roetine MIV Berading en Toetsing (RBT) kan daarin slaag om kennis van MIV status aansienlik te verhoog, maar dit is egter onduidelik of RBT aanvaar sal word, indien dit aangebied word. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal of die hoofdimensies van die Gesondheidsoortuigingsmodel (GOM), naamlik waargenome vatbaarheid, waargenome erns, waargenome voordele en waargenome hindernisse, aanvaarding van RBT sal kan voorspel. ’n Verdere oogmerk van die studie was om te bepaal of die veranderlike van die GOM, naamlik aanwysings tot aksie, ’n beduidende bydrae tot die voorspelling van aanvaarding van RBT kon lewer. ’n Steekproef van 1113 studente aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch in die Weskaap Provinsie van Suid-Afrika het ’n gestruktureerde vraelys, vir die meting van aanvaarding van RBT, voltooi. Veelvuldige regressie-analise was gebruik om die data te analiseer en daar was bevind dat die hoofdimensies van die GOM 25.1% van die variansie in aanvaarding van RBT kon voorspel. Die veranderlike waargenome erns het egter nie ’n beduidende individuele bydra tot die voorspelling van RBT gelewer nie. Die byvoeging van die veranderlike aanwysings tot aksie het verder ook nie ’n beduidende individuele bydrae tot die voorspelling van RBT gelewer nie. Daar is dus bevind dat die GOM gedeeltelik, maar nie as geheel nie, aanvaarding van RBT onder die studentepopulasie kan voorspel. Intervensies behoort daarom te fokus op die vermeerdering van waargenome voordele verbonde aan RBT, die vermindering van waargenome hindernisse tot RBT en korrekte persoonlike risiko-evaluering vir die verhoging van waargenome vatbaarheid vir MIV.

HIV/AIDS has exacted a devastating death toll on sub-Saharan Africa. Of the African countries South Africa has been the hardest hit by the epidemic. Young people between the ages 15-24 have been identified as the group most at risk for contracting HIV. The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been shown to decrease opportunistic infections and increase lifespan and quality of life of HIV infected people. VCT is an entry point to accessing life saving treatment as well as psycho-emotional and social support. A concern is that not all people who are at risk for VCT get tested. It is important to examine which psychosocial factors affect the uptake of VCT. A questionnaire that measures willingness to test for HlV and various other psychosocial and socio-demographic factors affecting VCT uptake, was administered to a group of first year psychology students, (N= 181). Chi Square (X2 ) analysis determined that knowledge of HIV transmission, knowledge of VCT, fear of testing, perceived social support and perceived social stigma were significantly associated with willingness to test for HIV (p / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Voluntary counselling and testing, the cornerstone of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts worldwide, is at the centre of a policy debate rega rding its effectiveness. Informed by social constructionism and drawing on various tools from ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, a sample of twenty-seven vid eotaped simulated counselling interactions in South Africa was analysed. The aim was to assess how the interactional tasks of the voluntary counselling and testing sess ion were worked through by clients and counsellors, and how this was done against the publ ic health and counselling frameworks that inform voluntary counselling and testing pract ice. The goal of the analysis was not to examine practitioners’ competencies, but to exam ine their unfolding actions in the situation and to consider the interactional functio ns these actions might serve. The results show that of the three interactional ta sks of voluntary counselling and testing, information-giving lays the foundation upon which the advice and support goals are realised. It is constructed as critical to client a nd counsellor identities and is a powerful tool through which hope is dispensed. Both the info rmation-giving and support tasks of voluntary counselling and testing combine to manage client distress into more concrete and manageable terms that encourage client coping. Counsellors draw on a range of advice-giving strategies – those that place the onu s of responsibility on the client to those that view the counsellor as the moral guide able to direct client change – in order to encourage clients to reflect on their risk behaviou r. In general, voluntary counselling and testing is framed as a moral activity, and this is most evident in the advice-giving segments. The public health and counselling framewo rks that inform voluntary counselling and testing create a dilemma for counse llors. In practice, counsellors orient towards a directive and health-advising role rather than a non-directive, client-centred counselling role. The implication of this research is that voluntary counselling and testing needs to be defined and framed more clearly – i.e. as a public health intervention with preferred outcomes that draws on a set of client-centred skills. Reconceptualisations of voluntary counselling and testing need to acknowledge the mor al framework under which it operates. Clear implementation guidelines (and training) on what voluntary counselling and testing is and that define its goals more clearly will be useful in assisting counsellors to implement the policies that govern their practice. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.