Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Many adolescents are living with HIV globally and in South Africa. Challenges in clinical management of adolescents include managing HIV related problems and motivating them to adhere to a lifelong treatment regime, which are compounded by the physical and psychological changes which occur during adolescence. With the advent of antiretroviral treatment (ART) access, HIV is managed as a chronic disease and elements such as self-management become an important component of care. Research to date has not focused on adolescent HIV self-management. Methods: A qualitative interpretive phenomenological design was utilised in order to obtain a contextually sensitive understanding of adolescent HIV self-management. Adolescents aged 13 to 18 who attended ART clinics, their caregivers and health workers experienced in adolescent HIV care were the target population groups. 18 individual interviews and 5 adolescent focus groups were conducted between July and December 2015 in two health facilities in the Cape Town Metropole. Results: Five key themes were identified: Self-management processes and behaviours; caregiver challenges; stigma; healthcare system functioning; and factors influencing self-management. Adolescents used knowledge, beliefs and self-regulation skills such as making decisions about disclosure, planning to take treatment and coping with stigma to manage their health. Pervasive stigma in communities and schools resulted in limited support structures, which were mainly restricted to their immediate family. Conclusion: HIV self-management in adolescents is a complex phenomenon. Although some self-management processes and behaviours were identified, adolescents and their families would benefit from interventions focused on supporting and improving individual and family self-management of HIV.

Biography

Email: tcrowley@sun.ac.za