HIV/AIDS has affected families in a profound and tragic way. Children whose parents have succumbed due to HIV/AIDS related infections have to be cared for by their relatives. This study focused on the experiences of primary caregivers of adolescents who are living with HIV in a semi-rural area of Eastern Cape Province, Grahamstown. There is a dearth of literature that is addressing the well-being, experiences and challenges of primary caregivers of adolescents living with HIV. Adolescence is a complex life stage during which adolescents usually present challenging behaviours and are grappling with moral issues. Caregiving to these youngsters who are burdened with HIV infection places additional demands on caregivers, especially so when they are experiencing poverty and poor social and welfare support. A qualitative study was most appropriate to explore and describe the experiences of adolescents infected with HIV. The population of this study was the primary caregivers of adolescents caring for adolescents with HIV in the area of Grahamstown, who are between 11 to 19 years old. A purposive sample of nine primary caregivers of adolescents living with HIV was selected. Data was collected by conducting individual interviews, using a semi-structured interview schedule. Data was analysed thematically according to prescribed theoretical guidelines. Data was verified by means of guidelines for the truth value, applicability, consistency, and neutrality of the study. The findings of the study indicated that primary caregivers experience that caring for adolescents who are living with HIV places a huge burden due to adolescents' negative behaviour, HIV stigma and discrimination, poor support from their families, being confronted with adolescents' emotional issues that they are not capacitated to deal with, and no adequate community resources to assist them. The challenges primary caregivers experience lead to negative effects on their health status. The findings of the study could be useful for informing intervention programmes that are targeting this group and policy development, and implementation of programmes benefiting both infected adolescents and their primary caregivers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:20994 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Matebese, Dineo |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Health Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MA |
| Format | viii, 121 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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