| Summary: | The majority of the people living with HIV in the North West Province are part of
households living in an unfavourable economic situation (Kotze, Roux & Wessels
2001 :83). The AlDS pandemic has intensified their poverty situation even more,
which is emphasized by Nattrass (2004:150) in the following statement: 'The AlDS
pandemic is both a cause and effect of poverty.' Adding to this, the majority of the
poverty-stricken people living with HIV in the Potchefstroom district do not feel
supported after having been diagnosed HIV positive (Pienaar, 200455-58). Once
there is a clearer understanding of how South Africans experience living with HIV.
counsellors, nurses and other health care workers will be better equipped to meet the
needs of these people (Coetzee & Spangenberg 2003:216). Therefore, guidelines
that can serve as useful tools for professional nurses and other health care workers,
including volunteers, who are working with poverty-stricken people living with HIV,
were developed in this study in order to address the gap in the support during the
HIV infection.
The objective of this research was to explore the experience and to identify the
support needs of poverty-stricken people living with HIV in the informal settlements in
the Potchefstroom district and to formulate guidelines for effective support for
poverty-stricken people living with HIV. A qualitative, phenomenological design was
used which enabled the researcher to understand the way in which poverty-stricken
people experience living with HIV and to identify their support needs. In-depth
interviews, consisting of 24 one-to-one interviews and one focus group were
conducted to obtain the data.
The population studied in this research consisted of the poverty-stricken people living
with HIV in the informal settlements in the Potchefstroom district in the North West
Province, South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with the
assistance of mediators who are working for the Non Governmental Organisations
dealing with HIV and AlDS in the Potchefstroom district. The sample size was
determined by data saturation, which was reached after 25 interviews.
Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with data collection. In consensus
discussions, the researcher and the co-coder reached consensus on the main and
sub themes. From the research findings, six main themes were identified. The first
two main themes are the facilitative and impeding experiences of poverty-stricken
people living with HIV. The remaining four main themes include the needs of poverty-stricken
people living with HIV, namely; basic needs, psycho-social needs, cultural-spiritual
needs and self-actualisation needs.
It could be concluded that the experience of poverty-stricken people living with HIV in
the Potchefstroom district is closely related to their support needs. In order to
address these needs holistically and to enhance the quality of life of poverty-stricken
people living with HIV, the needs should firstly be addressed individually and
according to culture. Following that, the collective needs can be addressed by a
support system addressing basic, psychosocial, cultural-spiritual and selfactualisation
needs for which an experiences and needs framework and guidelines
were formulated. === Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
|
|---|
