Exploring the experiences of school-going children with HIV in Eswatini: A qualitative inquiry
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Exploring the experiences of school-going children with HIV in Eswatini: A qualitative inquiry | |
| Creator | Nxumalo, Nomathemba Janse van Rensburg, Zelda Jacobs, Wanda | |
| Description | Background: Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a major disease in children, affecting an estimated 1.8 million children and adolescents worldwide. Eswatini has the highest prevalence of HIV in the world. Only 76% of children in Eswatini are on anti-retroviral treatment.Aim: This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experience of school-going children with HIV in Eswatini. Being aware of these children’s experiences can assist schools in supporting them.Setting: The study was conducted in four primary health care facilities in Eswatini.Methods: Employing a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive research design, 12 school-going children with HIV were interviewed through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The data were coded, categorised and clustered into themes and sub-themes using Georgi’s data analysis. Ethical considerations and measures to ensure trustworthiness were adhered to throughout the study.Results: The findings revealed three themes: Experiences after HIV disclosure, experience of disclosure and discrimination, and experience of desire to fulfil educational needs. Six sub-themes were identified: A feeling of sadness and worry relating to knowledge of HIV diagnosis, a desire to disclose their status to their teachers but not to their peers, a need for protection against discrimination, a desire to learn, illness affecting their learning and expectation for teachers to be supportive in their educational needs.Conclusion and contribution: The findings of the study guided recommendations that may assist, the Eswatini Ministry of Health, schools, parents and caregivers, and siblings to support school-going children with HIV. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2024-06-29 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/phcfm.v16i1.4472 | |
| Source | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 16, No 1 (2024); 9 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4472/7307
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4472/7308
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4472/7309
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/4472/7310
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