HIV-positive pregnant women’s experiences of participation in a structured support group

Abstract

People who have been diagnosed HIV positive often experience distress and anxiety due to uncertainties pertaining to the implications of an HIV positive status. These individuals are often reluctant to seek counselling and treatment due to the fear of being rejected and discriminated against (Parker, et al., 2002). There are limited formal networks for HIV support and psychological help in the South African context. Considering this, structured support groups were implemented for recently diagnosed HIV positive pregnant women. These women were recruited from ante natal clinics in Atteridgeville and Mamelodi as part of the Serithi project. Six support groups were implemented and facilitated by various experts including Masters students, of whom the researcher was part. This project is part of the larger study of the Serithi project in which interviews were conducted with three hundred and seventeen HIV positive pregnant women from disadvantaged locations of Tshwane. Based on these interviews, a support group intervention was developed. This research forms part of the evaluation of the support group intervention. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of women who attended the support groups. Women who had attended 7-10 sessions were selected and interviewed individually using semi-structured interviews. With the permission of the participants, the discussions were tape recorded and transcribed. The data was analyzed, using qualitative research methods, from an interpretative phenomenological approach. This involved systematically studying meanings, themes and general descriptions of experiences by the research participants. The main findings in this study showed that women who participated in support groups adopted positive coping and behaviour that is conducive to their livelihood, learned more about HIV and AIDS, seem to have a positive future outlook and are overall empowered. These findings support previous research and literature in regards to the importance of social support in the form of support groups in effectively assisting HIV positive women in their journey to adjust to psychosocial consequence of the disease.