This study was concerned with the social construction of HIV/AIDS at the policy level in contemporary South Africa, and how such constructions shape the manner in which the epidemic is understood in popular discourse.

Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus and Acquired Immune-Deficiency Syndrome communication remains one of the most significant tools in the fight against HIV/AIDS given the absence of the cure to fight the growth and spread of the global pandemic. Through the use of information, HIV/AIDS communication seeks to empower recipients or societies with skills that will help reduce their risk of infection. South Africa has seen a high visibility of HIV/AIDS communication programmes or campaigns aimed at empowering different audiences, whilst paying particular emphasis on the most vulnerable. Young people, in particular young women, have a higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. This has prompted the development of many youth focused communication campaigns which have sought to address factors that increase young people`s vulnerability to HIV infection. However, despite the high visibility of HIV/AIDS communication campaigns targeting young people, high risk behaviours are still being seen among young women. Important to note are the high teenage pregnancy rates, growing abuse of substances and even the premature engagement of sexual activities among female youths. This, therefore, raises questions on the effect of HIV/AIDS communication programmes in encouraging protective behaviour against risky behavioural practices amongst young women. Using both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to this study, an investigation was conducted into whether current HIV/AIDS communication campaigns have been limited (in terms of effectiveness) when it comes to communicating with young women on issues relating to HIV/AIDS. Awareness of HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS communication programmes, relevance of HIV/AIDS communication programmes, the factors that influence the use and understanding of HIV/AIDS messages and the impact of HIV/AIDS communication on attitude and behaviour change amongst female youths is measured. A total of 350 questionnaire copies were self-administered to 350 participants, with a 100 percent response rate. From the 350 participants, seventy five took part in focus group discussions. Data obtained was analysed using SPSS (for descriptive statistics), and the grounded theory. The results of the study indicate that all participants were aware of HIV/AIDS with at least 60% of the participants aware of at least three HIV/AIDS communication campaigns. When measuring the relevance of HIV/AIDS communication campaigns, participants (58%) indicate that issues discussed in most HIV/AIDS communication campaigns increased the relevance of HIV/AIDS messages to young women although such relevance was, for some respondents, affected by limited access to communication campaigns. Results also show that levels of knowledge and understanding of factors that expose young women to HIV infections differed amongst participants in as much as the factors that hinder the use of advice contained in HIV/AIDS messages also differed. Sixty-nine percent of the participants have knowledge and a better understanding of factors that expose young females to HIV infections. Twenty-five percent of the participants identified peer pressure, whilst 23% identified limited access to HIV/AIDS communication campaigns and another 18% identified a disregard of HIV/AIDS messages as significant factors that limit the ability of individuals to implement advice contained in HIV/AIDS messages. The results also indicate that although HIV/AIDS communication campaigns seem to have played a role in empowering some participants, there is still a significant minority whom communication has not effectively communicated with. Based on these findings, the study suggests, amongst other things, the need to intensify current HIV/AIDS communication campaigns through the provision of consistent messages on appropriate condom use, the identification of easily accessible communication channels and the development of thought provoking and attention grabbing campaigns as well as the need to continue to directly involve young women in the processes of their own development.

The following study is a phenomenological inquiry into five white, middle classwomen's experiences living with HIV and AIDS in British Columbia. The purpose, rather than describing AIDS as a medical phenomenon, is to document how being diagnosed HIV positive has affected the women's lives, health, relationships and livelihoods. A context for the women's stories is provided through a critical review of the biomedical model, as well as biomedical and community organizing perspectives on women and AIDS. Mostly verbatim accounts drawn from taped interviews conducted with the five women describes their lives with HIV and AIDS. Experiences surrounding their diagnosis, sources of information about their illness, strategies for coping, management of health, and management of personal and social identities are the themes explored. The women's participation, the role of the researcher, and the work produced are considered parts of an interactive process, demonstrating shared authority between the researcher and participants in the ethnographic process. Documentation of the women's experiences leads to a discussion of the ways in which they successfully manage and control their own health care and well being within the context of larger social forces of sexism, medical bias and stigma. The women are given the last word in the study. In conclusion, a review oftheir situations three years after their initial interviews contributes a significant emotional and descriptive time-depth to the study. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, July, 2017 / This thesis explores the rearticulation of subjectivity in the context of the struggle for antiretroviral therapy in South Africa, and also in the contemporary era of treatment accessibility for HIV and AIDS. Two sub-aims are investigated: the first concerns exploring how, and with what consequences, subjectivity was deployed in the contestations that characterized the South African ‘AIDS war’; the second concerns inquiring into the intelligibility of subjectivity in public and everyday consciousness in the post-AIDS war period. Integrating qualitative analyses with the theoretical lens of an analytics of governmentality, the data set includes policy-related archival materials, a popular HIV advice column and interviews with people living with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy. The thesis brings into sharp focus the adumbration of the right to health with rational decision-making, dignity and autonomy. Much more than a way of organizing interests, advocating for the right to treatment - to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child and to slow-down HIV spread - was a strategy of effecting a rationality-cum-affective transfiguration of a widespread helplessness and despair into self-reliance and hope. At the level of public and everyday consciousness, self-government on antiretroviral therapy lies at the intersection of knowledge, self-care and self-management. However, such a subjective positionality is not adopted unproblematically, or even sustained indefinitely, owing to the relative weight of other disparate requirements upon oneself from day to day. What emerged out of the epic battle for antiretroviral therapy, undergirding the prevailing current public and policy orientation to antiretroviral therapy care, was the combination of an optimistic rationality and a hopeful affectivity for the potential of fashioning an HIV-positive subjectivity, contiguously responsibilized and self-responsibilizing. At the experiential level of living on ARVs, where autonomy is synonymous with self-regulation, the thesis demonstrates that self-responsibility is also an unpredictable and fluid undertaking of navigating the affective tumult of hopefulness, uncertainty, sacrifice and tension. / XL2018

Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The overall objective of this study was to ascertain whether lay counsellors offer psychosocial counselling to clients at antiretroviral therapy clinics. The study was conducted at two clinics in the Greater Tzaneen municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. The sample of 14 consisted of seven female lay counsellors and seven HIV positive clients, three females and four males, at Xihlovo and Nyeleti antiretroviral clinics. They were interviewed using 11-item and 12-item interview guides, respectively. Interviews were conducted in the local languages. Qualitative data were collected for the study. The data were audiotaped, translated, transcribed and then categorised into a thematic framework. HIV positive participants were found to be suffering from psychosocial consequences of living with HIV, such as shock, denial, anger and blame, fear of death, fear of disclosure, and intimate-partner violence. However, lay counsellors did not offer effective counselling that could relieve the psychosocial consequences. They instead used religion to console clients, discouraged clients from expressing their feelings, and minimised their clients’ concerns. It is recommended that lay counsellors be taught basic counselling theories as part of their training so that they are better able to screen their clients for psychosocial problems and provide basic counselling. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die algehele doelwit van dié studie is om te bepaal of leke-beraders psigo-sosiale berading aan kliënte by die die anti-retrovale terapie klinieke bied. Kwalitatiewe data is vir dié studie versamel. Die studie is by twee klinieke in die groter Tzaneenmunisipaliteit in Limpopo provinsie in Suid‐Afrika gedoen. Die eksperimentele groep van 14 het bestaan uit sewe vroulike leke-beraders en sewe MIV-positiewe kliënte: drie vrouens en vier mans, by Xihlovo en Nyeleti anti-retrovale klinieke. Daar was onderskeidelike onderhoude met hulle gevoer en die 11-item en 12-item onderhoudriglyne is toegepas. Onderhoude is in inheemse tale gevoer. Die data was opgeneem, vertaal, getranskribeer en in 'n tematiese raamwerk vasgevang. Daar is gevind dat die MIV-positiewe persone negatiewe psigo-sosiale gevolge ervaar: skok, ontkenning, woede, blaam, vrees vir die dood, vrees dat hul status openbaar sal word, asook geweld binne hul verhoudings. Leke-beraders het egter nie doeltreffende berading gegee om bogenoemde psigo-sosiale gevolge te verlig nie. Hulle het eerder godsdiens gebruik in 'n poging om hul kliënte te vertroos, nie die kliënte aangemoedig om hul gevoelens uit te druk nie en hul gevoelens en kommer afgemaak. Daar word aanbeveel dat leke-beraders basiese beradingsteorie as deel van hul opleiding ontvang sodat hulle psigo-sosiale probleme in hul kliente kan uitken en beter basiese berading kan verskaf.

This study explores the subjective experiences of persons who have been informed of a positive HIV antibody test and, from their point of view, explains the meaning and impact that HIV discovery has on their quality of life. In this qualitative narrative study, a racially specific, low-income sample of 10 HIV-infected men and women shared their stories of living with the virus during in-depth interviews. Findings of a multi-staged narrative analysis suggest that for people like those in this study, stigma associated with mv infection results in the concealment of the diagnosis by the individual for fear of being labeled as deviant from the rest ofthe community. Secondly, the tragic manner in which these respondents narrated HIV discovery signifies the negative impact the disease has on their quality of life. Lastly, there is evidence for the effectiveness ofthe primary health-care services on the HIV positive patients. Implications for these findings are elaborated. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.

This thesis sets out to describe and discuss male street prostitution as it occurs in Durban. The aim is to examine to what degree male street prostitutes are at risk of HIV infection, and make appropriate recommendations for HIV intervention. The field data, gathered through participant observation, revealed significant differences between the two research sites, refiecting broader race and class divisions in the South African society. At the same time, the in-depth case studies of the individual participants suggest that they share similar socio-economic life histories characterised by poverty and dysfunctional families, and hold similar world-views. The research was conducted within a social constructionist framework, guided by theories of human sexuality. Yet, sexuality was not the framework within which the male street prostitutes in Durban attached meaning to their profession. Professing to be largely heterosexual, the respondents engaged in homosexual sexual acts without considering themselves to be homosexual, reflecting and amplifying the fluid nature of human sexuality. It was, however, within an economic framework that the male street prostitutes who participated in this study understood and interpreted their profession. The sexual aspect of their activities was far less important than the economic gain to them, and prostitution was interpreted as a survival strategy, A significant finding of this research is that male street prostitutes in Durban face a considerably higher risk of exposure to HIV from their non-paying sexual partners (lovers) than from their paying sex partners (clients). The research participants all had a good knowledge of HIV and the potential danger of transmission whilst engaging in unsafe commercial sex. In their private love lives, the participants were less cautious about exposing themselves and their partners to HIV infection, hence the conclusion that the respondents face a greater threat of HIV infection from their lovers than from their clients. Finally, male street prostitutes, like female street prostitutes, do however face some risk of HIV infection as a result of their involvement with commercial sex. The illegal nature of their activities is considered to contribute to an environment conducive to the transmission of HIV, and this thesis argues for a change in the legal status of commercial sex work as a primary component of HIV intervention in this vulnerable group of men and women. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

An HIV-positive diagnosis can be an overwhelming and traumatic experience. This study explores the experiences of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis. Employing an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a sample of the initial posts from threads on an online forum, was collected and explored, in order to determine the dominant themes from the experiences expressed in the posts, as well as the support sought from the forum. The online forum was accessed as an unobtrusive observer, and posts from January to December 2015 were explored. The online forum provides a platform for disclosure following an HIV-positive diagnosis, when anxiety and fear of stigma can impact on an individual’s ability to disclose to their social support network of family and friends. The experiences expressed on the online forum reflect the emotional, mental and physical impact of an HIV-positive diagnosis on an individual. The findings in this study reflected themes of shock, guilt and hopelessness, and concerns and fears regarding disclosure and stigma associated with HIV, as well as the importance of social support for the coping mechanisms of individuals after receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis. This research demonstrates the importance of Internet accessibility for information and support for chronic illnesses, such as HIV, and the role of the online forum platform for providing a safe environment for individuals recently diagnosed HIVpositive.

The general aim of the study was to explore and describe community development workers` perceptions of wellness at an HIV/AIDS organisation in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. The population of 36 community development workers at the Nelson Mandela Bay office of this organisation participated in this study. The sampling technique employed can be described as a census as it involved sampling an entire finite population that included all community development workers in the organisation. These workers are predominantly Xhosa-speaking adults between the ages of 21 and 60 years, and include both males and females. Qualitative data were gathered by means of audio-recorded focus groups, utilising semi-structured interviews. Tesch`s method was used to analyse the data, while Guba`s guidelines were used to enhance the trustworthiness of the research. Focus group interviews with community development workers revealed seven common themes in the experience of working in the HIV/AIDS organisation: (a) participants’ understanding of wellness; (b) organisational factors that impact on wellness; (c) personal factors that impact on wellness; (d) family and community factors that impact on wellness; (e) participants’ wellness; (f) personal coping strategies; and (g) suggestions regarding organisational strategies to enhance employee wellness. It is envisaged that the research findings of this study will be used in future to direct interventions that will be beneficial for the short and long term planning for the wellness of the community development workers of the HIV/AIDS organisation and those around them. It was recommended that the organisation was to develop a workplace wellness programme, increase management support towards the staff wellness and to increase the staff capacity.

HIV/AIDS has emerged as the leading cause of death in South Africa, with young people being the most affected. Awareness of HIV/AIDS is quite high, yet prevalence rates have not stabilised and are still climbing. Lack of sexual behavioural change among young people is a major factor which explains why prevalence rates are still on the increase among this population. Sexual behaviour change is influenced by perceptions and attitudes, most notably perceived susceptibility. Information on the psychological factors that affect perceived susceptibility can provide an important base for the development of programmes aimed at reducing further transmission among young people. A survey, using a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire with close-ended questions to collect data, was conducted among Grade 11 learners (n = 318) in Rini, Grahamstown, South Africa. One of the constructs (namely Perceived Susceptibility) in the Health Belief Model informed the data collection. The data generated were first analysed descriptively, providing percentages for responses. Secondly cross-tabulations were calculated. The results showed that knowledge about HIV/AIDS is sufficient, young people receive accurate and non-conflictual messages about sex and HIV/AIDS, they are not discriminatory towards People Living With HIV/AIDS, they have adequate access to healthcare and their perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS is high. All these are factors which are favourable and conducive for positive sexual behavioural change. However, the study also found that there was little behaviour change among young people especially regarding regular condom use and decreased sexual activity.