Development of structured support groups for HIV-positive women in South Africa

Abstract

Women living with HIV in a stigmatising community need support to cope with their HIV status. In a process of action research, a structured support group programme was designed to meet the needs of women to cope with their diagnosis and interpersonal relationships. The emphasis was on identifying their needs and developing programme material to address those needs through group participation and interaction. The programme was pilot-tested at two sites located in two townships in Tshwane, South Africa. Feedback after each session made it possible to adjust the programme to the needs of the participants. In a formative evaluation, audio-taped sessions, process notes of facilitators, and experiences of the participants were used to identify therapeutic elements, the value of the groups and the problems in the implementation process. Women reported benefit from participation in the support groups. A 10-session structured programme to be used in support groups addressing the most important needs of HIV-positive women was developed.

Les femmes vivant avec le VIH dans une communauté stigmatisante ont besoin de soutien afin de faire face à leur statut de VIH. Au cours du processus de la recherche active, un programme de groupe de soutien structuré a été conçu avec le but de répondre aux besoins de ces femmes pour qu'elles puissent faire face au diagnostic et aux relations personnelles. L'important était d'identifier les besoins et de développer le matériel nécessaire au programme afin d'aborder ces besoins à travers la participation et l'interaction du groupe. Des essais pilotes du programme ont été fait dans deux sites situés dans deux banlieues à Tshwane, Afrique du Sud. La réaction au bout de chacune des sessions a permis une adaptation du programme aux besoins des participants. Durant l'évaluation formative les enregistrements de sessions, les notes du processus des animateurs et les expériences personnelles des participants ont été employé dans le but de relever les éléments thérapeutiques, l'importance de groupes et les problèmes émergeant de l'exécution du processus. Les femmes ont signalé que la participation aux groupes de soutien a été rentable. Un programme structuré, ayant dix sessions, a été aménagé pour être utilisé dans les groupes de soutien avec le but d'aborder les besoins les plus importants des femmes séropositives.

Keywords:

• support groups
• HIV-positive women
• South Africa

Mots clés:

• groupes de soutien
• femmes séropositives
• Afrique du Sud

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maretha Visser

Maretha Visser is a counselling psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Pretoria. She has a PhD in the field of Community Psychology. She specialises in implementing interventions in community settings and has a longstanding interest in the prevention of and assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Jonathan Mundell

Jonathan Mundell completed his BPsych degree at the University of Pretoria in 2004. In his fourth year of study he started support groups for HIV-infected individuals. He joined the Serithi Project, where he is involved in the implementation of support groups for HIV+ women, which is also the subject of his Master's thesis.

Annelize de Villiers

Annelize de Villiers is the project director of the Serithi Project and a senior researcher at the MRC Unit for Maternal and Infant Care Strategies, University of Pretoria. She holds a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Pretoria and is Deputy President of the Society of Midwives of South Africa. She has a longstanding interest in HIV/AIDS management and maternal and child health.

Kathleen Sikkema

Kathleen Sikkema is an associate professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Psychiatry and Psychology at Yale University School of Medicine. Her research is to develop and implement HIV risk reduction and coping interventions, evaluated in randomised controlled trials. She has a longstanding history in communitybased research and service.

Bridget Jeffery

Bridget Jeffery is a senior specialist and associate professor in the Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Pretoria and Kalafong Hospital. She is principal investigator of the Serithi project. Her main areas of research are in the reduction of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV and problems of postnatal transmission of HIV via breastfeeding.