This study aims to examine the production of HIV/AIDS lessons on Tsha Tsha Entertainment-Education and their reception by HIV-positive men in Soweto, and to find out whether this response impacts on their perception of their roles and responsibilities in HIV/AIDS. The rationale behind this study is that gender and HIV/AIDS has been critical in interventions aimed at combating the disease. Studies in South Africa on gender have revealed that versions of masculinity can be implicated in the increasing infection rates of HIV/AIDS making efforts to combat the disease problematic. A qualitative methodology is used. This method included interviews and focus group discussions. Five interviews were done with programme producers and researchers of Tsha Tsha to find out the major considerations in production. An average of seven HIV-positive men were exposed to 12 episodes of Tsha Tsha to find out their responses in six focus group discussions, and whether these indicated a changed perceptions in their roles and responsibilities in HIV/AIDS. Their responses were then examined under Bandura’s (1971) social learning theory and Hall’s (1977) encoding-decoding theory .This theories explain the considerations in the production of lessons in Tsha Tsha and how audiences respond to those lessons respectively. The findings reveal that audiences (HIV-positive) men identify with lessons around HIV-testing, disclosure, support and those that challenge stigma and masculinity in HIV/AIDS. Disclosure emerges as a major theme and is compared with sub themes of testing, stigma, masculinity and social support to form categories that are presented as the findings. While HIV-disclosure is seen as challenging HIV/AIDS stigma and masculinity, where men accept their condition, and take responsibility to continue occupying their space as men, E-E production can reinforce lessons around disclosure and other coping strategies to combat HIV/AIDS.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2003 / Many myths and stigmas around HIV/AIDS continue to exist, despite various campaigns to educate South Africans about this terminal illness, and therefore an HIV positive diagnosis and the experience of living with it are usually kept secret. In order to facilitate a better understanding of HIV positive South Africans, it seems necessary to research their experiences. This study, using the phenomenological methodology, examined 6 HIV positive participants' written stones about their experiences of living with HIV. From these stories the following main themes emerged: disclosure, denial, stigma, physical symptoms, symbolic representations of HIV/AIDS, medication, depression, anger, and death, and from these themes strategies for survival materialized. The findings of this study show that HIV is often minimized by the infected so that they are able to manage the experience in more publicly acceptable ways, such as by focusing on common physical illnesses, and avoid facing the "emotional baggage" that accompanies this virus. The findings of this study reveal a need for further research in this experiential area as well as campaigns and education around issues such as stigma, medication, and emotional difficulties.

Most children born HIV positive live longer and have more healthy lives since the advent of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), together with the accessibility of Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARV) to persons living with HIV. However, some of those children find themselves in need of care due to abandonment, orphanhood and / or neglect. In South Africa such children may enter the formal Child and Youth Care System and be placed in centres such as Epworth Child and Youth Care Centre. Due to the complex nature of the consequences of such disclosure or non-disclosure of HIV positive children’s status to them, social service workers are posed with a dilemma. In the absence of clear guidelines and policy around such disclosure, the children concerned may be unaware of their HIV positive status, despite being on a medication regime. The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of social service workers regarding disclosure of HIV status to children born HIV positive living at Epworth Child and Youth Care Centre in Lambton, Ekurhuleni, South Africa. The study was located within a qualitative research paradigm, and utilised a purposive stratified sample of 15 social service workers form various occupational groupings recruited from Epworth Child and Youth Care Centre. A semi-structured interview schedule was employed as the research tool, with in-depth one-on-one interviews being adopted as a method of data collection. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data collected during the interviews. The main findings of the study were that HIV status disclosure is viewed as a complex but essential process as it reinforces children’s ability to adhere to medication regimes and to dispel anxiety and suspicion within themselves and around their status; that non-disclosure may lead to poor or coerced adherence and strains the relationship between the children and the social service workers. Disclosure of children’s HIV positive status can be viewed as complex as it presents both positive and the negative. Recommendations relate to community educative and awareness programmes, policy and practice changes regarding disclosure and none disclosure of children’s HIV positive status, as well as future research.

This study focuses on the motivations of caregivers who have adopted children affected by, and infected with, HIV/AIDS. The caregivers who participated in the study are from Rustenburg, in the North-West Province. These caregivers form part of the ethnic group classified as Coloured. The community from which these caregivers come have many caregivers who regularly adopt and look after more than four children, at least one of whom is affected by, or infected with, HIV/AIDS. None of the children who were adopted lived with their biological parents, as their parents had either died of HIV/AIDS or had abandoned them when they were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This research is a phenomenological study that followed a qualitative descriptive research design. This research design allowed the caregivers to share their motivations for adopting children affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS. The caregivers found it very rewarding to communicate and share their perspectives on, and motivations for, adopting children affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS, and to share their real thoughts and feelings. The caregivers were able to give profound and sincere answers about their motivation to adopt HIV/AIDS affected and infected children. Four female caregivers were purposefully selected from the Rustenburg area. All four of the caregivers were single parents; they have all lost their spouses as a result of death or divorce during the past 10 years. The researcher, therefore, collected data through observation, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews and a collage activity. The focus group discussion and in-depth interviews were recorded on a digital voice recorder. The focus group discussion was conducted with the caregivers; one week prior to the in-depth interviews. The focus group discussion included a collage activity, where the caregivers used pictures and words to express their motivations to adopt HIV/AIDS affected and infected children. Thematic data analysis was used to transform the transcribed data into meaningful information on adoption. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study focuses on the motivations of caregivers who have adopted children affected by, and infected with, HIV/AIDS. The caregivers who participated in the study are from Rustenburg, in the North-West Province. These caregivers form part of the ethnic group classified as Coloured. The community from which these caregivers come have many caregivers who regularly adopt and look after more than four children, at least one of whom is affected by, or infected with, HIV/AIDS. None of the children who were adopted lived with their biological parents, as their parents had either died of HIV/AIDS or had abandoned them when they were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This research is a phenomenological study that followed a qualitative descriptive research design. This research design allowed the caregivers to share their motivations for adopting children affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS. The caregivers found it very rewarding to communicate and share their perspectives on, and motivations for, adopting children affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS, and to share their real thoughts and feelings. The caregivers were able to give profound and sincere answers about their motivation to adopt HIV/AIDS affected and infected children. Four female caregivers were purposefully selected from the Rustenburg area. All four of the caregivers were single parents; they have all lost their spouses as a result of death or divorce during the past 10 years. The researcher, therefore, collected data through observation, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews and a collage activity. The focus group discussion and in-depth interviews were recorded on a digital voice recorder. The focus group discussion was conducted with the caregivers; one week prior to the in-depth interviews. The focus group discussion included a collage activity, where the caregivers used pictures and words to express their motivations to adopt HIV/AIDS affected and infected children. Thematic data analysis was used to transform the transcribed data into meaningful information on adoption. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Purpose of the study - Identify predictors of mortality and develop a related care plan for patients who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Gondar, Ethiopia. Design - A quantitative, retrospective cohort study was conducted analysing medical records of HIV patients who presented to Gondar University Hospital (GUH), Gondar, and started ART between 1 January 2007 and 30 June 2010. Results - In defining the predictors of mortality, the findings in bivariate analysis revealed: female sex, CD4 cell count ≤ 50/μl, CD4 cell count 51-199/μl, a haemoglobin concentration ≤8g/dl, a history of oral candidiasis, tuberculosis and Cryptococcus meningitis were all statistically significant. A female sex, CD4 cell count ≤ 50/μl and CD4 cell count 51-199/μl maintain their significance level in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions - The study therefore recommends that clinicians and case managers be vigilant of these predictors of mortality while managing HIV patients who are on ART. Key Concepts- ART, AIDS, HIV, predictors of mortality / Health Studies / (M.A. (Public Health))

Bakgrund: På 80-talet upptäcktes förvärvat immunbristsyndrom (AIDS) och humant immunbristvirus (HIV) för första gången. 35 miljoner människor lever med HIV idag varav 19 miljoner är omedvetna om att de bär på smittan. Därför är det tänkbart att som sjuksköterska någon gång under sina yrkesverksamma år kommer att komma i kontakt med sjukdomen. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa sjuksköterskors upplevelser av att vårda patienter med HIV/AIDS. Metod: En litteraturstudie har använts där material har metodiskt sökts, kritiskt granskats och sammanställts. Åtta kvalitativa artiklar har inkluderats i studien. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i två huvudkategorier ”Faktorer som bidrar till god vård för patienter med HIV/AIDS” och ”Upplevda hinder i omvårdnaden av patienter med HIV/AIDS” samt sex subkategorier. Slutsats: En bidragande orsak till att rädsla uppstår hos sjuksköterskor i omvårdnaden av patienter med HIV och AIDS är att de saknar tillräcklig med kunskap och erfarenhet. Sjuksköterskorna som själva valt att arbeta på AIDS avdelningar kände empati för sina patienter. En del sjuksköterskor upplever att de blir diskriminerade av samhället på grund av att de vårdar patienter med HIV/AIDS. I vissa länder förekommer det brist på arbetsmaterial vilket leder till en ökad rädsla för att bli smittad. Kontinuerlig utbildning är viktigt för att behålla och utveckla kunskapen och kunna erbjuda god omvårdnad på lika villkor.

Bakgrund: Vårdpersonal kan uppleva negativa erfarenheter när de vårdar personer med HIV/AIDS. Det framkommer i studier att kunskap om HIV/AIDS kan leda till positivare erfarenheter. Vårdpersonals erfarenheter av att vårda dessa personer är därför en viktig kunskap som kan användas för att förbättra kunskapen hos vårdpersonal och i längden förbättra vården för personer med HIV/AIDS. Syfte: Litteraturstudiens syfte var att beskriva vårdpersonals erfarenheter av att vårda personer med HIV/AIDS. Metod: Litteraturstudie där åtta kvalitativa vetenskapliga studier inkluderades. Fribergs modell för litteraturöversikt användes och med inspiration från Graneheim och Lundman (2004) granskades studiernas resultat. Dessa analyserades och sammanställdes till nya resultat. Resultat: Resultatet sammanställdes i sex underkategorier som beskrev vårdpersonalens erfarenheter av att vårda personer med HIV/AIDS. Dessa sex underkategorier delades i sin tur in i två kategorier: Känslor av sympati, vanmakt, rädsla och ilska och Upplevelse av stigma och diskriminering. Slutsats: Bristande kunskap om sjukdomstillståndet HIV/AIDS kan leda till ett fördömande och stigmatisering mot personerna med sjukdomen och kan relateras till samhället och den syn som redan finns mot personer med HIV/AIDS. Mer kunskap om HIV/AIDS hos vårdpersonal kan hjälpa dem att få mer positiva erfarenheter vilket kan påverka omvårdnaden för personerna med sjukdomen.

Bakgrund: Globalt sett är HIV/AIDS en utbredd sjukdom som orsakar stora påfrestningar på varje individ som drabbas. HIV/AIDS har blivit vår tids mest stigmatiserande sjukdom då den är kopplad till starka tabun. Syfte: Att beskriva sjukvårdspersonalens stigmatisering och diskriminering av patienter med HIV/AIDS utifrån ett patientperspektiv. Metod: Systematisk litteraturstudie där sökningar utfördes i Cinahl, Pubmed, PsycInfo, Science Citation Index Expanded samt SveMed+. Sökningarna resulterade i 11 kvalitativa och tre kvantitativa artiklar relevanta för syftet. Artiklarna granskades och analyserades med induktiv metod. Resultat: Det framkom att patienter med HIV/AIDS stigmatiserades och diskriminerades av sjukvårdspersonal. Patienter med HIV/AIDS hade erfarenheter av stigmatisering och diskriminering i form av kränkande behandling, bristfällig sjukvård, att bli vägrad sjukvård, överdrivna skyddsåtgärder och brister i konfidentialiteten. Stigmatiseringen och diskrimineringen gav konsekvenser i form av känslomässiga reaktioner, rädsla för att söka sjukvård samt att patienterna med HIV/AIDS valde att avstå från medicinsk behandling. Slutsats: Stigmatiseringen och diskrimineringen som existerar i sjukvården orsakar vårdlidande för de patienter som drabbas. Konsekvenserna av denna form av vårdlidande orsakar även ett ökat sjukdomslidande på grund av att patienterna inte får adekvat behandling.

Bakgrund: HIV/AIDS är en världsomfattande pandemi, trots att smittan minskar, ökar antalet personer som lever med HIV/AIDS, då det finns välfungerande bromsmediciner som behandlar sjukdomen. Antalet personer som lever med HIV/AIDS i Europa har sedan sjukdomens debut aldrig varit så högt som nu. Personerna kan på grund av olika faktorer så som samhällets värderingar, återkommande sjukhusbesök och egenupplevda känslor ha olika dimensioner av upplevelser. HIV/AIDS är ett kroniskt sjukdomstillstånd, följderna av detta medför ständiga kontroller och livslång medicinering. Detta kan åstadkomma begränsningar för många personer med diagnostiserad HIV/AIDS. Syfte: Syftet var att belysa personers upplevelser av att leva med HIV/AIDS. Metod: Litteraturstudien är baserad på sju vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ ansats. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades för att säkerhetsställa god kvalité. Graneheim och Lundmans (2004) innehållsanalys användes vid analysen av de vetenskapliga artiklarna. Resultat: Efter genomförd analys utformades fyra kategorier vilka benämns som Påverkan i det dagliga livet, Begränsad frihet, Livsförändrande med underkategorierna Hoppfullhet och Hopplöshet samt Vårdkontakten som en del av livet. Resultatet belyser hur personerna som lever med HIV/AIDS upplevde sin sjukdom och hur den påverkade och begränsade personerna i deras livssituation. Mötet med hälso- och sjukvården var på många sätt bidragande för hur personer upplevde sin sjukdom- och livssituation. Slutsats: Att drabbas av HIV/AIDS innebär en livslång medicinsk behandling och kontakt med hälso- och sjukvården. För att personerna ska känna välbefinnande och delaktighet i sin situation har hälso- och sjukvården en möjlighet att påverka detta. Här har den personcentrerade omvårdnaden stor betydelse. Litteraturstudien kan vara användbar för att göra samhället och sjukvårdspersonal medvetna om och skapa ökad förståelse för hur personer med HIV/AIDS upplever sin situation och sin omgivning.