Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The HIV/AIDS pandemic is steadily growing throughout the world. Global
estimates have revealed that forty million people are living with HIV/AIDS.
Approximately 5.3 millions South Africans have been indicated to be living with
the illness and within South Africa HIV/AIDS is having catastrophic effect. The
burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has not fallen evenly. In South Africa, African
women have borne the brunt of the illness. This study presents a focus on
developing more effective ways of caring and therefore impacting the health of
Black South African women living with HIV.
Social support understood broadly as different aspects of relationships in which
needs are met and individuals feel cared for, loved and valued (Cobb, cited in
Friedland, McColl, & Renwick, 1996) was indicated as having a powerful impact
on health. For this reason social support was considered crucial in the
development of effective strategies of care.
Studies examining the role of social support in the management of chronic illness
such as HIV/AIDS underscore the ability of social support to provide a sense of
health within illness. From within a South African context, however, a gap in
social support research has been apparent. Although frameworks for
understanding social support as a broad concept were available, social support
research failed to provide adequate foundations for understanding social
support in terms that could implicate strategic intervention and contribute to the
development of more effective strategies of care.
The aim of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the lived
experience of social support for a sample of nine Black South African women
living with HIV. The study was conducted qualitatively within a
phenomenological paradigm. A phenomenological paradigm encouraged participants, through in-depth interviewing, to provide information based on
their own lived experiences of social support. The interviews were then
transcribed and analysed using rigorous data analysis methods. Initial findings
were presented to the sample and then developed further. Final findings were
written up as rich descriptions of the lived experience of social support for the
sample.
Fourteen themes emerged as comprising constituent aspects of social support.
Descriptions of the fourteen themes, including health care professionals,
partners, family/children, support groups, meeting others needs, story telling,
Memory Box Project, media and books, organisations within the community,
activities, the community, being involved in research and spirituality, provide
rich understandings of the interpersonal relationships constituting the lived
experience of social support for the sample. A polarity was identified in the lived
experience of social support. Interactions had the potential to be satisfactory and
supportive as well as non-supportive. The research findings are discussed
within a greater theoretical body of knowledge and considered in light of three
contexts considered influential in impacting the lived experience of social
support.
The study assisted in the development of a culturally contextual understanding
of the lived experience of social support. This understanding has implications for
effective intervention strategies seeking to purposefully care for those living with
HIV in South Africa / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die MIV/vigs-pandemie neem wêreldwyd steeds toe. Internasionale beramings
dui daarop dat sowat 40 miljoen mense tans met MIV/vigs saamleef.
Altesame 5,3 miljoen Suid-Afrikaners ly na raming aan die siekte en dit het ’n
katastrofiese uitwerking. Wat bevolkingsgroepe betref, is die siekte egter nie
eweredig versprei nie. In Suid-Afrika is dit die swart bevolkingsgroep, en in die
besonder die swart vrou, wat die meeste deur die siekte geaffekteer word.
Hierdie studie fokus op die potensiële ontwikkeling van doeltreffender
versorgingsmetodes wat dan ook die lewensgehalte sou kon verbeter van
swart Suid-Afrikaanse vroue met MIV/vigs.
Sosiale steun het ’n sterk invloed op gesondheid. Hierdie steun verwys na die
verskillende aspekte van verhoudings wat geaffekteerde
individue vervuld, versorg en gelief laat voel (Cobb soos aangehaal in Friedland,
McColl, & Renwick, 1996). Daarom word sosiale steun as belangrik beskou in
die ontwikkeling van doeltreffende versorgingstrategieë.
Verskeie studies oor die rol van sosiale steun in die bestuur van chroniese
siektes soos MIV/vigs, bevestig dat sosiale steun ’n deurslaggewende rol speel
in die vestiging van ’n gevoel van gesondheid binne ’n siektetoestand. Binne die
Suid-Afrikaanse konteks blyk daar egter ‘n gebrek aan navorsing te wees wat
betref die rol van sosiale steun. Hoewel daar wel werk beskikbaar is wat die rol
van sosiale steun as ’n breë konsep verklaar, bied navorsing op hierdie gebied
nog nie ’n geskikte grondslag vir ’n beter begrip van sosiale steun wat betref
strategiese intervensie en die bydrae wat dit kan lewer tot doeltreffender
versorgingstrategieë nie. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n groter begrip te ontwikkel vir sosiale steun
soos beleef deur ’n steekproef van nege swart Suid-Afrikaanse vroue met MIV.
Dit studie is kwalitatief uitgevoer vanuit ’n fenomenologiese paradigma. Deur
die voer van diepte-onderhoude binne hierdie fenomenologiese paradigma is
deelnemers aangemoedig om inligting te verskaf oor hulle eie ervaring van
sosiale steun. Die onderhoude is vervolgens getranskribeer en geanaliseer deur
middel van streng data-analise-metodes. Daar is terugvoering oor die
aanvanklike bevindinge gegee aan die vroue in die steekproef en die data is
hierna nog verder ontwikkel. Die finale bevindinge is in die studie weergegee
as ’n omvangryke beskrywing van die steekproef se deurleefde ervaring van
sosiale steun.
Veertien temas is geïdentifiseer wat kernaspekte van sosiale steun omvat.
Hierdie temas sluit onder meer in gesondheidsorgwerkers, metgeselle,
familie/gesinne/kinders, steungroepe, behoeftevoorsiening, die vertel
van stories, die "Memory Box"-projek, die media en boeke,
gemeenskapsorganisasies, aktiwiteite, die gemeenskap, betrokkenheid by
navorsing, en geesteslewe. ’n Beskrywing van die veertien temas het bygedra
tot ’n veel groter begrip van die interpersoonlike verhoudings wat deel
uitgemaak het van die deelnemers se beleefde ervaring van sosiale steun.
Daar is egter ’n polariteit geïdentifiseer ten opsigte van hierdie beleefde
ervaring van sosiale steun. Dit het geblyk dat interaksie potensieel bevredigend
en ondersteunend van aard kan wees, maar ook afbrekend. Die
navorsingsresultate is verder bespreek binne ‘n uitgebreide teoretiese
kennisraamwerk en is beskou in die lig van drie kontekste wat as belangrik geag
word betreffende die invloed daarvan op die beleefde ervaring van sosiale
steun. Hierdie studie het bygedra tot die ontwikkeling van groter begrip binne
kulturele konteks vir die beleefde ervaring van sosiale steun. Hierdie
begrip is belangrik vir doeltreffende intervensie.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/16444 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Smyth, Laura Diane |
| Contributors | Naidoo, A.V., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xv, 253 leaves |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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