Where the work of others has been used, it has been duly acknowledged in . the text. This research aims to examine some of the stories of being positive, and the different dimensions and characteristics of these stories.
WHAT IS HIV?
Transmission
A positive ability test means that the individual is infected with mv and will be a carrier of the virus for life and can therefore infect other people (Beers and Robert 1999). The attention of the individual is drawn to matters related to changes in identity and self-esteem, concealment, discovery and disclosure of their HIV-positivity.
Relationships
By the time the woman reaches the symptomatic stage, according to Goma (1996), the sexual partner will have died since first becoming infected. Women are affected by the loss of a shared future with children and by the additional burden of knowingly leaving orphans behind.
Family
When the host family agrees to care for the infected member, the emotional and material resources of the family are immediately affected. Women on the other hand have provided support by taking care of the sick at home.
Psychological and psychiatric effects
Campbell and Williams (1999) cite an example of a similar situation in which the Chamber of Mines and Trade Unions strongly disagreed with the government's position on the exclusion of HIV positive workers from Malawi. They insisted that HIV positive workers already employed should not be repatriated even though the Chamber of Mines still maintained that HIV positive people should not be recruited into new jobs.
Coping with HIV and Quality of life of HIV positive patients
What coping means in this context?
Second, by keeping the diagnosis secret, the individual is deprived of the social support from his or her social network that would normally be available to him/her. According to Minkoff et al. 1995), social support is positively related to overall well-being and negatively to anxiety and depression in chronically ill patients.
Quality of life
Mathews, Stansfield, and Power (1999) highlight that there has been increasing interest in the relationship between social support and health since the mid-1970s. However, Rene et al (1999) emphasize that the detrimental mental and physical health effects of social support may be largely mediated by the presence of an individual's social support.
The role of counselling
This can be arranged so that the counselor is available to see the patient immediately after he or she is informed of the results. If a patient is seen over time, it is essential that the counselor has information about his or her current health and any changes in this (Ibid).
Narratives of HIV infection
A recognized body of research recognizes the importance of story or narrative as a way of coping with traumatic events, particularly the experience of illness. According to this author, in the last twenty years, the rapid changes in the economy, society and culture manifested in the field of health have challenged biochemical dominance and led to the definition of patients as "experienced persons who can contribute knowledge and actively participate in decisions" ( p. 1657). Marshall and Q'Keefe (1995) further point out that in the past, when people got sick, their only responsibility was to try and get well again.
We can also tell stories of our lives and this is of fundamental importance in the clinical world. Stories of loss and rejection can be intermingled with celebrations of the knowledge and self-understanding that HIV had provided (Ezzy, 2000). These questions were examined through an exploration of the illness narratives of being HIV positive.
Tentative hypothesis
Introduction
Narrative Method
Most of the time, the interviewer will enter the field with a list of points to be covered in the interview. A person's reluctance to be interviewed must be respected, but the problems must be inquired into and if possible answered. The time must be recorded so that all the required material is covered in the allotted time.
Any feelings and hopes that the interview may have raised should be respected and discussed as appropriate. At the end of the interview, the respondent should be informed of where the research is going from this point, assured of confidentiality and, where possible, offered feedback later. Finally, this is an ideal time to provide the respondent with consent forms, if any, to be signed (Katzenellenbogen et al., 1991).
Procedures
The issue with this type of sampling is that it may be impossible to assess the extent to which the samples are truly representative of the relevant population, and secondly, it may be difficult to compare studies.
Data Collection
Now that you are in this situation, you hold someone responsible for it.
Data Analysis
Story type
Somewhat tragic stories
We're all going to die, it's only a matter of time before there's a knock on your door. ".I didn't want anyone else to know because they will make fun of it.". Some wanted to avoid the perceived danger associated with disclosure: A 27-year-old man said: .. 34;This can be a dangerous situation today.
I seem to have lost that sense of being a healthy person who can support and care for others." What helped me is that my parents accepted me when I told them about this situation, that's what's important to me wash.". This theme was associated with the creative story types. 34;To a certain extent I do blame myself because I think I could have taken safety measures.
This situation has completely changed my life and there is nothing I can do about it." Marriage and going back to school are things I have put out of my mind because they are not for me anymore.".
Work
At the beginning I noticed some changes like I lost my weight, but after coming here and accepting the situation, I gained my weight back." Even when I weigh myself, my weight does not mean any deficit , today it might be 59, tomorrow 60, and so on, and my appetite is very stable." This then means that I may not be able to achieve this because this situation is detrimental to me in many ways.
This was also because they were afraid to apply formally as they believed that their medical profile had a negative impact on their professional future. They felt their situation was hopeless because they needed formal work to support their families and nourish themselves emotionally. It's hard to be sick and hungry at the same time, that's a serious problem."
Role players
Partner
She understood because when I explained to her she agreed to stay with me despite all this and I appreciated that because I don't know what I could have done without her support.” I can just say , in general, at home they treat me well because they knew the type of life my children's father lived." They lose confidence in you because the first thing they know about you is that you're going to die soon."
For a small percentage of the sample (20%); The church played an important role in their confession. Other Christians help me here and there, so I survive to this day." I also discovered that there are other people who are HIV positive and they are fine, it's not just me and that medication can keep me well until the cure is discovered".
Introduction
Major types of narratives
Some of the respondents in this group would even consider themselves different from other people regarding the way in which this news affects the general public. This theme was differentiated according to gender in that only female respondents confessed to this experience and mostly support was first received from their mothers and then extended to the rest of the family. They seem to be unaware of the fact that this practice is now illegal in South Africa and in breach of the Employment Equity Act of 1999.
This means that the people who were interviewed in this study confirmed the suggestion of Miller et al. (1986) that most patients avoid disclosing their mv positive status for fear of anticipated stigmatization. This means that narrative does not necessarily have to be the result of actual experience, but can be the product of a combination of self and world view. Moreover, it was observed that for the majority of the sample, their narratives became a construction for dealing with life experience.
The quality of life of people who are HIV positive
Because of the space for personal explanation and detail that the narrative method offers the respondent, as noted by Katzenellenbogen et al (1991), the stories people tell enable them to act with a view to shaping and protecting their own future. He cites a study by Hassim (1994) examining the public health implications of accounts of female intravenous drug users. This highlights the important role of healthcare and counseling services in the quality of life of positive individuals.
Respondents in this study report an improvement in their health as a result of the services they receive from the Infectious Diseases Clinic. Therefore, some understanding of the disclosure patterns is imperative if counselors are to promote healthy approaches to coping in the lives of people with HIV. The language most communities use regarding HIV infection is not neutral (Evian, 1995). It affects our perception of both the disease and its carriers.
Limitations of the present study
The medical treatment and counseling services offered at this clinic seem to restore a sense of hope for the future and to help improve their quality of life. These conclusions are entirely consistent with a narrative or depth approach to the study of illness, which seeks to more fully appreciate the integration between individuals, stories and cultures in which they live. This means that HIV-positive individuals who participated in this research attempt to define themselves in relation to a community of which they form a constituent part.
There is a very real danger that the mythology and terminology used about mvIAIDS may make it more difficult for people to take intelligent precautions against its spread. It is therefore obvious that we must not only treat the patients and not only the disease, but society as a whole when we look at HIV/AIDS. Also included in this study's limitations is the effect of social desirability. It is possible that the respondents may have perceived the researcher as working for the clinic, which may affect the validity of the results of this study.
Assessing the quality of life of HIV-infected persons: clinical and descriptive information from the HOPES studies. Social support, marital status, and living arrangements are associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors in the elderly. Social networks, social support, personal empowerment, and adjustment of psychiatric consumers/survivors: Path analytic models.
Social support, social selection, and self-rated status: findings from the US Veterans Health Survey.
APPENDIX
