dc.description.abstract |
A deficit in information and knowledge regarding people living with AIDS in Botswana,
hampering health care planning and satisfactory health care delivery to these people,
necessitated the needs assessment reported on in this paper. Not only did self-imposed
alienation and societal levels of stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS force many people
living with AIDS/HIV (PLWAH) into silence and denial of their HIV+ve diagnosis,
thereby creating knowledge and information deficits. These same factors also pose
challenges for conducting a needs assessment among these persons. Consequently,
a 73 item questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 39 male and 77
female PLWAH in Botswana. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs served as a general
theoretical point of departure for the needs analysis and the 73 items represented
needs at all levels of this hierarchy.
Analysis of the data indicates that 65% of the respondents lived in urban areas. The
majority of individuals (42%) were tested for HIV because they became ill, while 28%
did so voluntarily. Other reasons for testing were: child becoming ill, partner becoming
ill, being pregnant and having been raped. Only 7% indicated that their HIV status had
been disclosed to other persons. With regards to love and belongingness 70% of the
respondents indicated that they were not in an intimate relationship, nearly one third
experienced multiple deaths within their families due to AIDS, 61% had access to a
support group, and 48% had not informed their parents about their HIV+ve status.
Stigmatisation weighed down self-esteem. Despite the deficiencies in the fulfilment of
safety, belonging and esteem needs, positive attitudes were reported by 73% of the
116PLWAHSs. |
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