There is limited knowledge on the psychosocial implications of HIV/AIDS in serodiscordant heterosexual couples in sub-Saharan Africa. Several studies have indicated that there is an increase in the number of such couples on the African continent, yet there are minimal or no services offered to support such couples. The aim of the study was to explore the psychosocial challenges faced by heterosexual serodiscordant couples who were married. Ecosystems and biopsychosocial approaches were used as a framework to guide the study. A qualitative study was conducted in Durban, South Africa. Purposive sampling was used, comprising of four married couples and two individuals who were married but participated individually and not as a couple. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken. Both inductive and deductive approaches were carried out to analyse interview transcripts. None of the participants had received satisfactory explanations of their serodiscordant results. The discovery of serodiscordance resulted in difficulties with disclosure to families and children, maintaining safer sex, achieving intimacy due to lack of communication and bearing children due to fears associated with infection. Serodiscordance resulted in positive partners constantly fearing that their negative partners would leave them. Participants in discordant relationships had difficulties dealing with the changes that discordance brought into their lives. This resulted in enormous stress in their relationships including feelings of isolation, confusion and despair. Acceptance of serodiscordant status and support from family members were positive coping mechanisms used by discordant couples to alleviate stress. Avoidance was a negative coping mechanism used by some couples in dealing with the challenges of discordance. Factors contributing to the negative participants remaining in the relationship included love and companionship, children, commitment to the relationship and acknowledgement of the existence of HIV. The findings also indicated that none of the participants received on-going counseling and there were no programs catering for serodiscordant couples. This study supports the view of other researchers who believe that there is a dire need for service provision for serodiscordant couples. Based on the findings of this study, micro, mezzo and macro intervention strategies are recommended. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

This research study sought to determine secondary school learner perceptions of the need for a youth development programme in Reservoir Hills. The study begins with a literature review related to youth development in the context of social capital within the framework of social development. The main focus of the research, however, was to gather information regarding the youth development programmes the youth were currently accessing, as well as youth perceptions of their needs and pressures, and how their needs can be met. A descriptive survey research design guided the study. The entire Grade 9 populations of the two secondary schools in Reservoir Hills were asked to complete structured questionnaires under the supervision of their teachers. This group was considered to best represent youth at the entry level of this phase of development. Quantitative methods were used to analyse the results from which conclusions and recommendations were drawn. The study findings indicate that the majority of the respondents were not attending youth development programmes. Those who were accessing these programmes were doing so through school, as well as religious and sports organizations. The youth expressed a keen interest in participating in any programmes that might be offered. Surprisingly, they were requesting access to the most basic activities such as soccer, netball, volleyball, etc. The y also showed an interest in non-sporting activities such as computer literacy. Youth demonstrated awareness of the pressures facing them in terms of drugs, sex and alcohol. They were of the view that involvement in youth development programmes would be critical to assisting youth direct their energies towards positive development as individuals and as youth in general, and thus contribute to the creation of a better society. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The Social Assistance Act of No. 59 of 1992 was put into place to help in assisting poverty stricken people of South Africa by offering social grants to an aged, disabled person or a war veteran. Due to the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV/AIDS were entitled to social assistance. However, grave problems exist for this group of persons to access social assistance such as the qualifying criteria for the disability grant being complicated by the medical nature of HIV/AIDS, taking anti-retroviral therapy and problems in the administration procedures. Compounding these, is that rural areas are underdeveloped and lack infrastructure to accommodate adequate service provision. This study aimed to increase understanding of access to social assistance by people living with HIV/AIDS in the rural area of Vulindlela in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study researched this by hearing the voices of both the service providers (key informants) and people living with HIV/AIDS (patient respondents) by conducting a qualitative study based on a descriptive research design. Data was collected by means of semi-structured, in depth-interviews for both the service providers as well as patient respondents in this study. Findings revealed that the voices of people living with HIV/AIDS were not heard and further that they were not even aware of their rights and entitlements to social security. In fact, in many instances people died without having had any access to their grants whilst others had to wait months before receiving their grants. Findings emphasized the need for education, training and retraining for service providers, recipients and educational institutions as HIV/AIDS poses a major challenge in our society and as it is an ever changing phenomenon. Using an ecosystemic frame of reference, recommendations were multi-fold and included better networking and collaboration amongst the different bodies that are involved in grant administration and revisiting qualifying criteria. Other recommendations included strategies to deal with corruption, the development of pressure and lobbying groups and staff shortages. Given the time it takes to plan and implement changes and given the life threatening nature of HIV and AIDS, a key recommendation was for a newly introduced grant exclusively for the people living with the virus, to lessen the burden of meeting qualifying criteria and thus give dignity to and improve life quality. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Not only does South Africa have the largest number of people with HIV/AIDS in the world, it continues to have a high mortality rate associated with AIDS due to the limited availability of antiretroviral treatment in this country. While a body of empirical research has developed in the West on the issue of AIDS-related bereavement, it has limited applicability to the South African context where the daily lives of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS are markedly different to those in more developed countries in the West, in terms of the extent of HIV-related morbidity and mortality, poverty, stigma, availability of social support, gender inequality, medical treatment, welfare services and government policies. An exploratory, descriptive study was therefore undertaken to examine AIDS-related bereavement experiences among adults in KwaZulu-Natal, Durban. Qualitative face-face interviews were conducted with 18 adults who had lost one or more significant others to AIDS. Qualitative face-face interviews were also conducted with eight professionals working in non-governmental organizations in KwaZulu-Natal that served people affected by HIV/AIDS to obtain their perspectives on the issue of AIDS-related bereavement among clients and how they were addressing this issue within their organizations. A social ecological framework was used to understand participants' experiences with AIDS-related bereavement. Two major themes emerged: participants had to keep their grief to themselves and more urgent life stresses took priority in their lives. A conspiracy of silence existed as a result of the high level of stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and a perceived lack of both informal and formal support for those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Grief was treated as a "luxury" in a sense and energies had to be focused on daily survival needs. Participants tended to suppress their emotions and relied on inner resources, in particular finding meaning in their loss and relying on their religious faith. Interviews with professionals confirmed these themes. Recommendations are made at both the local and national levels to address AIDS-related bereavement. It is suggested that while individual and group interventions should be developed for those at risk for complicated grief as a result of an AIDS-related loss, the focus needs to be on structural changes such as reducing HIV-related stigma, combating poverty, encouraging men to play a more active role in the care and support of those who are ill with HIV/AIDS or bereaved by the disease, and improving the status and capability of the social work profession to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the South African welfare policy framework. Further research needs to be conducted on AIDS-related bereavement in the South African context, considering the magnitude of AIDS-related loss and bereavement and the scarcity of indigenous information about this issue. Collaborations between researchers, practitioners and the bereaved are encouraged both in South Africa and internationally to highlight the unique nature of AIDS-related bereavement in the South African context and to test the efficacy of indigenous strategies and interventions to address AIDS-related bereavement. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

THIS STUDY EXAMINES SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA WHICH POSES MAJOR CHALLENGES IN THE AREAS OF ASSESSMENT, TREATMENT, REHABILITATION AND AFTER-CARE. THIS HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON A NUMBER OF POLICIES DEALING DIRECTLY WITH RESOURCES, BUDGETS, NORMS AND STANDARDS OF / FOR SERVICE DELIVERY. THIS STUDY FOCUSSES ON THE AGENCIES AND THE INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE BOTH ARE CRUCIAL IN THE INTERVENTION, PLANNING OF TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION PROGRAMMES AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTING POLICY. THIS RESEARCH INVESTIGATED THE TYPES OF TREATMENT AVAILABLE, THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM, ITS FUNCTIONS, AREAS OF NEED AND CONCERNS REGARDING THE CURRENT POLICIES. THE ASSESSMENT OF THE SERVICE DELIVERY ORGANISATIONS REVEALED, DEDICATION BUT ALSO A NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT NEEDED TO BE DEBATED UPON. FEW AGENCIES CHANGED OR USED MORE UP TO DATE INTERVENTION MODELS, WHICH GIVES THE CLIENT FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND ALLOWED HIM/HER TO BE THE MAJOR CHANGE AGENT IN HISIHER BEHAVIOUR CHANGES. A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE LEADS TO INAPPROPRIATE TREATMENT PLANS WHICH IN MANY INSTANCES LEADS TO THE RELAPSE RATES REMAINING HIGH. A STUDY OF THE MULTI DISCIPLINARY AND INDIVIDUAL TEAM MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENTAL, NON-GOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE REHABILITATION AND TREATMENT CENTRES WAS CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THEIR KNOWLEDGE BASE AND ISSUES THEY FACED. AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE THE DUAL DIAGNOSED CLIENTS, WHO HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE NET BECAUSE OF LACK OF TRAINING THEORY AND PRACTICE 0N THE PART OF THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM. THE STUDY REVEALED THAT THE GAP BETWEEN POLICY AND PRACTICE NEEDS TO BE MORE INTEGRATED TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED DRUG FREE INDIVIDUALS. AGENCIES DO NOT HAVE THE TIME OR THE ENERGY TO DEAL WITH AND IMPLEMENT NEW AND OTHER POLICY CHANGES. THIS RESULTS BECAUSE OF OVERLOAD, LACK OF FUNDS AND LACK OF HUMAN RESOURCES. THROUGH THE LITERATURE STUDY A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME FOR TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION IS RESEARCHED TO MEET THE UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF THE SUBSTANCE ABUSER AND ALSO THE TEAM /INDIVIDUALS WHO PLAN THE TREATMENT. A LARGE NUMBER OF MODELS ARE DISCUSSED SO THAT THE PLANNING TEAM CAN CHOOSE APPROPRIATE ONES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF CLIENTS. ANOTHER AREA OF ASSESSMENT WAS THE INDIVIDUAL TEAM MEMBERS OPINIONS ON TREATMENT TIME FRAMES AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES. THIS THESIS RESEARCHED EVERY COMPONENT TREATMENT PROGRAMMES AND STRATEGIES AND SHOULD BE USED AS A REFERENCE AND TRAINING GUIDE BY ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE FIELD OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA AND GLOBALLY. OF SPECIAL EMPHASIS WOULD BE THE UNDERSTANDING OF DUAL DIAGNOSIS AND THE PROVISION OF A SUITABLE TREATMENT PROGRAMME. THE INVESTIGATION INTO SOCIAL POLICIES PROVIDES FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT TO MEET THE NEEDS FO SUBSTANCE ABUSERS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND WORLD WIDE. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of linking the formal social service delivery system, represented by professional social work services, with the informal system, represented by self-help/mutual aid groups. The developmental research model described by Thomas (1978a, 1978b, 1981, 1985b) was selected as appropriate to the goal of moving beyond the acquisition of knowledge to that of the application of knowledge by practising social workers for the benefit of clients. In the first part of the study the historical and social factors which contributed to the development of the self-help movement in South Africa were explored. The second part of the study focused on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Durban social workers in relation to self-help groups and established the feasibility of the proposed development. A 75,6% response was received from a questionnaire distributed to all qualified social workers in the Durban area. One hundred and sixteen social workers (51%) who indicated that they were willing to participate further in the investigation were then interviewed. Through the questionnaire and the interview, social workers became cognizant of self-help groups, the nature of their services and the range of possible roles and relationships with them. Mutual aid/self-help groups were found to be part of a strong historical and cultural tradition in South Africa. Many groups had developed as a response to the inadequacies of state welfare services. Social development and change functions coexisted with the service and citizen participation attributes of groups established in post-industrial economies. The social workers were found to have generally positive attitudes to self-help groups and to be engaged in a variety of activities in interacting with them. The conclusion demonstrates that the findings have implications: first, for social welfare policy, particularly in relation to the issue of privatisation; secondly, for social work practice, in that the linking of formal and informal services would be feasible and that the need exists for collaborative interaction between the two; thirdly for social work education which needs to combine theory-building with the application of theory in practice. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1989.

This research was carried out between June and July 2008 among migrant labour women who work in the clothes manufacturing industries of Lesotho. It aimed at uncovering the effects that women's absence in families has on their families, basing itself on the assumption that women employees of manufacturing industries of Maseru are migrants from rural areas whose families remain in the rural areas. The three main findings in the research are that; men do not remain in rural areas but migrate and work in the manufacturing industries in Maseru as well, while children remain behind in the care of either maternal or paternal extended family. Secondly, this set up (men migrating with their wives) has enhanced marital relationships of migrant labour women, while children of migrant labour women have been affected negatively by being separated from their mothers. A third finding that emerged in this study is that women indulge in extramarital affairs even when they live and stay in the same place with their husbands. Finally, this paper recommends strategies that may ensure that mothers and children maintain a healthy relationship and it makes suggestions pertaining to the spread of HIV in the manufacturing industries. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

Testing on laboratory-housed primates has long been the standard for research in cognitive psychology and other areas. As an alternative to this, a group of socially housed chacma baboons (Papio hamadrayas ursinus) at the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education near Phalaborwa in Limpopo Province, South Africa, were the subjects for a set of basic cognitive tests. The purpose of the tests was to explore the importance of analogical reasoning by means of testing perceptual and conceptual skills in baboons. The main aim of this research is to investigate the degree to which captive but socially housed baboons are useful as experimental subjects, and to develop an apparatus and protocol to perform these tests in situ in the baboons' home cages. Five baboons were chosen as the subjects for experimentation. All subjects completed three groups of tasks to a criterion of at least 80% success over four successive experiments. The tasks tested baboons' discrimination ability between two coloured tiles, a reversal of that same discrimination task, and a simple match to- sample task. As a result of time constraints, further tasks testing conceptual ability had to be abandoned. A record was kept of environmental and social factors that may have influenced the motivation of the subjects. The time taken to complete each experiment correlated in many cases with the number of distractions experienced by the subjects. There appeared to be no significant correlation between the score attained by a subject and the number of distractions experienced by that subject. The greater number of distractions experienced by the subjects was a result of the more engaged social world in which these baboons exist. Consequently, their motivation to perform repetitive cognitive tests was decreased, and needed to be countered in novel ways. An apparatus and a protocol for testing under these conditions were developed. Testing baboons' cognitive skills in these circumstances is both possible and desirable for ethical reasons, though the process takes longer than under laboratory conditions. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004

Thesis (PhD (Social Work))—University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / It is generally accepted that the inability to consummate a marriage causes couples great distress, and can finally lead to divorce. Limited research has been done on the unconsummated marriage in South Africa. International studies have pointed out that the unconsummated marriage is a reality and a prevalent problem. While medical and therapeutic intervention is available, many people still suffer in silence and feel embarrassed about their condition. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the emotional and psycho-social experiences and perceptions of the couple in an unconsummated marriage. In order to achieve this goal, the objectives of the study were to explore the experiences of the couple in an unconsummated marriage in order to obtain the couple’s perception of their marriage; to present a literature overview on the subject of marriage within the context of the family life cycle; to describe the nature and causes of an unconsummated marriage; to critically describe approaches and models that may be used for the assessment of an unconsummated marriage; and to reflect on the implications of the emotional and psycho-social experiences and perceptions of the couple in an unconsummated marriage within a postmodern systemic framework. The purpose of the literature study was to provide a context for the research study. The researcher conducted an extensive literature review in order to establish and refine the research subject and to guide the empirical study. An exploratory study was executed and the purposive non-probability sampling method utilised. The sample for this study was obtained from Intercare Medical Centre, Johannesburg and The Square Medical Centre, Umhlanga between April 2004 and November 2004. Ten couples that have not consummated their marriage were included in the sample. An interview schedule with open-ended questions was used to conduct joint interviews with the couples. The empirical study enabled the researcher to draw certain conclusions. The main conclusion was that males and females in an unconsummated marriage experience and perceive control-related problems; negative feelings towards their own and their partner’s body; a fear of engaging in an intimate relationship and other phobias; a feeling of sin and moral dilemma; feelings of guilt and shame; the manifestation of depression and apathetic attitudes; personal distress and psychological problems; a feeling of serious regret and sadness; self-blame, self-destructive behaviour, mutilation and suicidal thoughts and episodes; and lastly, a lack of information on how to be sexually intimate with a partner. A number of recommendations flowed from the findings. The main recommendation was that healthcare professionals such as social workers should be better educated about the phenomenon of the unconsummated marriage in order to make a correct diagnosis and deliver high quality medical and therapeutic intervention.

Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / It is a common phenomenon that women’s sexual desire diminishes in relationships, yet, to date, limited research has been done locally on this topic. International studies indicate that low sexual desire affects more than half of women, and that an even greater proportion of women indicate that they have sexual intercourse with their husbands without they themselves having a desire to do so. In spite of this, there is an expectation in society that couples should continue to have an active sex life. Low sexual desire may lead to distress in the individual or discord in the couple, and in this aspect the practitioner can render a service. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the life-world of women with low sexual desire towards their life-partners, and the extent to which this causes her distress or impedes on her relationship. The objectives of the study thus included providing an overview of models of sexual response, an evaluation of the diagnostic criteria for sexual dysfunctions, and an exploration of factors affecting the experience of sexual desire, including the role of social scripts on sexual behaviour. The context for the study is provided by a review of relevant literature, and a qualitative study with a phenomenological interpretative approach was executed. Data gathering focused on a nonprobable purposive sample of ten participants, and used an interview schedule with open-ended questions. Seven themes emerged from the analysis of the data, namely (1) perceptions of sexual desire, (2) experience of sexual desire, (3) experience of sex life without desire, (4) the perceived impact of low desire on the individual or the relationship, (5) personal reasons for decline in desire, (6) relationship factors affecting sexual desire, and (7) the experience of low desire in the socio-cultural context. It was found that ‘desire’ is difficult to conceptualise, that women put a higher premises on the emotional component of desire, and that there is a difference between innate sexual desires and desire that is evoked by stimuli. Reasons for low sexual desire include an array of personal medial, psychological, and life context factors, and in many cases the lack of desire is specific to the present life-partner. Women are especially sensitive to a wide variety of aspects in the relationship and with regards to their partners, and it emerged that even in happy and intimate relationships low sexual desire is experienced. Women experience a loss of emotional intimacy as a result of low sexual desire but do not necessarily feel that their low desire is abnormal. The impact on the relationship is limited mostly because women concede to sex for many reasons, including a need for emotional intimacy. Many strategies, including faking orgasms, are implemented to cope with sexual relationships in the absence of desire. It also appears that social scripts have a big influence on the inception of negative perceptions on sexuality, and generate unreasonable and idealistic expectations of sexual experiences in long-term relationships. Several recommendations flowed from the findings and conclusions. The most important recommendation is that professional people should gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon of low desire in women, in order to render a more effective therapeutic intervention.