Bereavement And Hiv Aids

A Comparative Study Of Bereavement Between Aids Related And Non-aids Related Deaths Sherona Rawat Dept. Of Psychology, University Of Zululand

Introduction • 2002 total estimate of 2.4 million deaths due to HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. • 550 000 were children under the age of 15 years. • Statistically thousands of lives being lost each year to HIV/AIDS. • Past preventative educational programs have not been successful.

Purpose • Whether bereavement due to HIV/AIDS is different from other forms of bereavement. • Develop interventions targeted at bereaved parents/caregivers suffering from loss of loved one due to AIDS. • Interested in the grieving process of parents/caregivers whose children who have died of HIV/AIDS compared to other causes of death.

Background • • • • •

Process of bereavement. Culture. Social expectations and parameters. Marital discord. HIV/AIDS significant impact on grieving process of sufferers. • Discomfort and avoidance of the dying and the bereaved intensified when the death involves a child. • Death of a child represents a loss of future experiences. • Significant adjustment problems associated with the loss of children for grieving parents/ caregivers.

Key Terms •

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Mourning. • Psychoanalytic perspective of mourning. • Tasks of mourning. • Stages of dying. Grief. • Kinds of Grief. • Normal responses to grief. • Resolution of grief. • Unresolved grief. Factors affecting the grieving process. • Nature of death. • Attachment style between the child & the parents/caregivers. • Individual psychological reactions. • Individual’s religious orientation and level of spirituality.

Methodology • Population. – Six mothers and two fathers aged between 36 and 64 years. – Six parents/caregivers shared a home and two were divorced, separated or lived apart due to economic reasons. – One was a single parent lived with an extended family.

Methodology Continued • Sampling. – Purposeful sampling-. • Selection of units is based on a previously specified purpose. • Involves conscious selection by the researcher of certain subjects / elements to include in the study. • Sample comprised of parents/caregivers of deceased children.

Methodology Continued • Instrumentation. – Open-ended Interview. – The researcher found it necessary to oscillate between an open-ended and semi-structured approach to the interview. – The questions probes and prompts were rather incorporated into the natural flow of the conversation. – The interview followed the parent/caregivers individual process.

Data Analysis •

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Grounded Theory. – Emphasizes the concept of emergent data. – Allow the theory to emerge while observing codes and analysis of data. – Open coding ,axial coding & selective coding . Constant comparison. – Refers to the process of linking, exploring and questioning the similarities/differences between different parts of datasets. Limitations. – Participants included in the study from the Highway Hospice, Westville, Durban. – Difficult to generalize the findings of the study. – Varied venues for interviews.

Results and Implications. •

Effect of HIV/AIDS on bereavement. – Lack of social support. – Stigma. – Guilt arising from religious belief. – And guilt regarding responsibility for infection with HIV.

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Implications of results. – Development of new interventions. – Development of treatment programs. – South African context. – Better service provision. – Improved treatment outcomes within the community.

Conclusion • Bereavement experiences directly related to stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. • Psychological, social, economic or environmental factors affecting the bereaved. • Grief over loss of a child never reconciled, transformed into shadow grief (a milder, less active form of grief). • Regrets and comments by parents/caregivers hint at lack of guidance, knowledge and structured management programs. • Highly recommended- programs designed to address the individual needs of South Africans in the management of bereavement.

References Aiken,L.R.(1985).Dying,death and bereavement.Massachusets:Allyn and Bacon Inc. Borgatti,S.(2005).Introduction to Grounded Theory.Retrieved 14 January 2005 from World Wide Web:Indoglobal.com Services. Brown,E.(1999).Loss,change and grief: An educational perspective.London;David FlawTon Publishers. Glaser,B.G.(1992).Basics of Grounded Theory:Emergence versus force.Mill Valley;Sociology. Kalish,R.(Ed).(1980).Caring relationships:The dying and the bereaved New York:Baywood Publishing Company. Miller,W. and Crabtree,B.(1997).Doing qualitative research.Sweden:Sage Publishers.

References Continued Mouton,J.(1998).Understanding social research(2nd ed.).Pretoria:Sigma Press. Nagy,M.(1936).The child and death.Budapest:Brenz. Randoo,T.(1993).Treatment of complicated mourning,Illionis:Research Press Publications. Russel,M.(2000).A rapid appraisal of community-based HIV/AIDS care and support programs in S.Africa.Retrieved 01 June,03 from www.hst.org.zaresearch/hivsupp.htm. Walter,T.(19990.On bereavement-the culture of grief.Buckingham:Open University Press. Worden,W.J.(1991).Grief counselling and grief therapy (2nd ed.).New York :Springer.