Adolescents' experiences of living with HIV and AIDS.
Date
2009-06-11T08:30:46Z
Authors
Black, Linda Anne
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Abstract
A growing body of research exists that examines the nature of
i n tervent ions aimed at educa ting adolescents in t e rms of HIV and AIDS
(Campbell, 2003; Campbell & McPhail, 2002; Van Dyk, 2001). However,
there appears to be a grave pauci ty of l i t e rature that explor es the impact
of HIV and AIDS on adolescents’ psychological and emotional
functioning. Adolescents who live in the af t e rmath following the death of
a parent, or parents often have to deal with rejection from thei r
community, and are often confronted with significant emo t ional,
educa tional and psycho-social challenges. These cha llenges continue to
pose enormous threat to the development of a healthy s e lf-concept (Foster
& Germann, 2002). These adolescents continue to be marginalized as their
voices remain largely s i l e n t in contemporar y research .
Using a combination of Art therapy, and narr ative creation, twenty-eight
adolescents participated in a group intervention intended to facilitate,
empower and encourage meaning making processes, and to f ac i l i t at e both
oral and wr i t ten communica tion about the i r exper iences of living wi th
HIV and AIDS. Findings suggest that while adolescents living with HIV
and AIDS continue to have significant emotional, physiological, and
social cha l lenges on a daily basis, their stories espouse great hope,
determination and resilience.
Description
Keywords
Adolescents, HIV, AIDS