Defying all odds: coping with the challenges of volunteer caregiving for patients with AIDS in South Africa
Defying all odds: coping with the challenges of volunteer caregiving for patients with AIDS in South Africa
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04704.x
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发表时间：
2008-08-01
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Akintola, Olagoke
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Akintola, Olagoke
瞄准本文是一份研究报告，探讨了艾滋病毒/艾滋病患者的志愿照顾者所经历的挑战和应对这些挑战的策略。非正式看护与压力有关，往往导致看护者健康状况不佳。在南非，志愿人员在向艾滋病毒/艾滋病患者提供护理方面发挥了重要作用，而且事实表明，志愿人员在护理方面承受了负担。然而，很少有人知道的压力和应对志愿者之间。民族志研究进行了观察和深入访谈，收集数据，20名志愿者和其他利益相关者在两个半农村社区在南非超过19个月的时间在2002/2003.Findings。“排除万难”成为中心主题，其中包括志愿护理人员处理他们面临的许多实际挑战的各种方式。这些挑战最初对志愿工作构成威胁，但志愿人员逐渐认识到，为了继续提供护理，可以采用各种战略来应对这些挑战。八个主题突出这些挑战和志愿者所采用的应对策略被确定。明确了解志愿人员如何应对照顾艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染者的挑战，可以使人们了解他们的弱点和长处，并为设计旨在提供支助的干预措施提供信息。需要进行研究，以促进更好地了解志愿者评估挑战的过程和应对策略的有效性，并随着时间的推移跟踪应对策略。
Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore the challenges experienced by volunteer caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS and the strategies employed in coping with these challenges.Background. Informal caregiving is associated with stresses that often results in poor health outcomes for caregivers. In South Africa, volunteers play a major role in the provision of care for people living with HIV/AIDS and have been shown to experience burdens as a result of caring. However, little is known about stress and coping among volunteer caregivers.Methods. An ethnographic study was conducted, using observation and in-depth interviews, to collect data with 20 volunteers and other stakeholders in two semirural communities in South Africa over a 19-month period in 2002/2003.Findings. 'Defying all odds' emerged as the central theme that encompassed the various ways in which volunteer caregivers dealt with the many practical challenges confronting them. These challenges initially posed a threat to volunteering work but were gradually appraised by volunteers as challenges that could be dealt with using various strategies in order to continue providing care. Eight themes highlighting these challenges and the coping strategies employed by volunteers were identified.Conclusion. A clear understanding of how volunteers deal with challenges of caring for people living with HIV/AIDS can give insight into their weaknesses and strengths and can inform the design of interventions aimed at providing support. Studies are needed to facilitate better understanding of the processes of appraisal of challenges by volunteers and the effectiveness of coping strategies, and to track coping strategies over time.