Abstract
Little is known about parenting in the context of HIV and psychosis, two co-existing conditions affecting many mothers in South Africa. In this study a mixed methods approach was used to firstly do qualitative investigation of the illness and parenting experiences of a case group of mothers living with HIV/AIDS and psychosis (n = 41). Secondly, the support networks of this group are compared with a control group of mothers with HIV/AIDS without psychosis (n = 44). Integrating qualitative and quantitative data highlight the emotional and physical disruption experienced by the case group that contribute to dysfunctional mother–child interactions. This experience may be detrimental to the child’s well-being and formation of attachment relationships. Healthy support networks may buffer these adversities. The availability of support figures is similar between the groups, but the case group has less spousal support. Paranoia associated with the case group predicted fewer support figures, thus emphasizing the vulnerability of this group of mothers and children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 183-193 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Child and Family Studies |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 14 Sept 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2017 |
Funding
The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the authors and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. This study was made possible by the NRF-VU University Amsterdam Desmond Tutu Doctoral Programme which is coordinated by the South Africa-VU-Strategic Alliance (SAVUSA). Special thanks to Anniek Koele and Ilse Vriend who assisted with data collection.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| NRF-VU | |
| National Research Foundation of Korea |
