Adolescents' lived experiences of substance abuse in the Greater Giyani Municipality

Background: Adolescence is a unique and distinct stage of development that involves changes in the physical, psychological and social aspects of adolescents. It is a critical transition into adulthood whereby heightened risk-taking and sensation-seeking takes place, such as substance abuse. In a South African context, this transition sometimes occurs under economic stress, poverty, unemployment, high levels of crime and political instability. This can place adolescents at risk of substance abuse. Objectives: To explore and describe the lived experiences of adolescents abusing substances in the Greater Giyani Municipality in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design with a phenomenological approach was used. Data were collected through individual, in-depth, phenomenological interviews and field notes. Thematic coding was utilised to analyse the collected data, and literature was reviewed to support the findings. Moreover, measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical principles were applied throughout the research process. Results: Five themes were identified: substance abuse behaviour among adolescents, adolescents' motivation for continuing substance abuse, the effects of substance abuse on the lives of adolescents, factors affecting adolescents' discontinuation of substance abuse and a need to discontinue substance abuse. Conclusion: The study concluded that adolescents abusing substances in the Greater Giyani, Limpopo province, experience loss of control, broken relationships, poor academic performance, stigma attached to mental illness and negative emotions. The adolescents foresaw their future as uncertain and without direction. It is recommended that mental healthcare professionals introduce and implement interventions that will assist the adolescents who abuse substances in the Greater Giyani, Limpopo province. Contribution: The findings in this study could add knowledge in developing and implementing of strategies for psychiatric nurses to support adolescents abusing substances in the Greater Giyani, Limpopo province.

Experiences of grandmothers caring for female adolescents living with HIV in rural Manzini, Eswatini: a caregiver stress model perspective

The HIV pandemic has immense effects on the Eswatini population. The burden of caregiving rests on women, typically grandmothers who are elderly and dealing with chronic diseases themselves. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of grandmothers in Eswatini caring for female adolescents living with HIV. The study draws on phenomenological fieldwork of six case studies of grandmother­granddaughter pairs who were purposively sampled. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews that commenced with broad questions: "How is it for you to care for a female adolescent living with HIV?" for the grandmothers, and "How is it for you to live with HIV?" for female adolescents. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically following the elements of the caregiver stress theory. Drawing on the caregiver stress model, grandmothers and female adolescents experienced input stimuli of financial difficulties related to daily provisions for food and transport fare. Control processes experienced by grandmothers and female adolescents related to feelings of loss, grief, fear, hopelessness and isolation along with suicidal ideation for female adolescents. Regarding output stimuli, grandmothers and female adolescents developed psychological unrest related to difficulty accepting the HIV diagnosis and concerns about the future. Grandmothers experienced ill health due to the demands of the caregiving role. It is recommended that family, financial and psychological support be made available for grandmothers to lighten the duty of caregiving

A model to facilitate self-management of human immunodeficiency virus in students within a university setting and promoting their mental health

Background: The introduction of antiretroviral treatment (ART) has resulted in people with HIV living longer. Antiretroviral treatment demands a lifelong commitment from patients not only in terms of adherence to the medication but also in relation to lifestyle changes in general. This poses a challenge to a student living with HIV (SLHIV) who only spends a few years at university before entering the workplace and relocating. It also means that the care, support and treatment received at the university will no longer be available to them as these services are only offered to enrolled students. It is imperative for practitioners at universities to help SLHIV effectively manage their illness.Aim: The aim of the article is to illustrate the process followed to develop a model that could serve as a frame of reference to facilitate the management of HIV as an integral part of the mental health of SLHIV within a university.Setting: The model is designed for professional practitioners in university settings who support students living with HIV in managing their illness.Methods: A theory-generative, qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual study design was utilised. The central concept was derived from the experiences of practitioners and SLHIV by conducting individual interviews using appreciative inquiry. The common themes and categories identified in the interviews served as a basis for the identification of the central concept for the study. The process included the identification, definition and classification of the central concept and essential attributes. The conceptual framework was then described. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were also adhered to in the study and approval for the study was granted (Ethical clearance #2014-071).Results: The central concept was identified as the 'facilitation of self-management'. It was defined and classified, and these definitions and classifications were used as the basis for the model. Thereafter, the model was described.Conclusion: The model can be used as a frame of reference to assist SLHIV in effectively managing their illness

Experiences of family caregivers of persons living with mental illness: A meta-synthesis

Background: Meta-synthesis is used to generate and understand new insights from a qualitative perspective. Caregiving is associated with a range of physical and psychological symptoms. Caregivers bear the brunt of caregiving and this has become worse since the inception of de-institutionalisation, as more patients are discharged into the community under the care of their families.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to synthesise phenomenological qualitative studies and create a comprehensive chronicle of phenomena of family caregivers' experiences of caring for relatives living with mental illness.Method: Google Scholar and different electronic databases, which included CINAHL, MEDLINE, EBSCO and PubMed, were searched using keywords for relevant studies published from 1994 to 2014. To obtain an in-depth view of caregivers' lived experiences, a qualitative meta-synthesis was employed to review the findings of 10 studies.Results: A total of 10 studies were included in the meta-synthesis. The family caregivers described their caregiving experiences under four themes: perceived responsibility of caregiving, experiences of emotional effect, experiences of support needs and experiences of changed perspective.Conclusion: The meta-synthesis revealed a lack of emotional coping among the family caregivers. This calls for robust family caregiver interventions to facilitate their mental health

Lived experiences of couples in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness

Background: A partner with mental illness can be challenging in a couple's relationship. Mental illness brings about disintegration in the relationship because the partner without mental illness takes on more responsibilities than before. The partner without mental illness can be subjected to multiple risks, including stress and burden of care. The lived experiences of couples in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness is an under-researched area of mental health.Objectives: To explore and describe the lived experiences of couples in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness.Method: A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual research design was utilised. A purposive sampling method was used to sample participants for this study. Five couples, where one partner was diagnosed with a mental illness, participated in the study. Ten in-depth, individual, phenomenological interviews were conducted to provide rich descriptions of the couples' experiences. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. An independent coder assisted with the data analysis. A consensus discussion was held between the independent coder and the interviewing researcher to agree on the identified themes.Results: Four themes with categories emerged from the data analysis: couples experienced changed social roles in their relationship, emotional upheaval was experienced by the individual partners in the couple relationship, interpersonal distance was experienced in the couple's relationship and a changed relationship with the self was experienced by the individual partners in the couple relationship.Conclusion: The results concluded that couples experienced that the presence of mental illness in their relationship adversely affects the relationship, thus emphasising the need to empower the couples dealing with challenges of being in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness

Lived experiences of parents of premature babies in the intensive care unit in a private hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa

Background: Many of the 15 million premature babies born worldwide every year survive because of advanced medical interventions. Their parents have intense experiences when their babies are in the intensive care unit (ICU), and these have an impact on their thoughts, feelings and relationships, including their relationships with their premature babies. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of parents of premature babies in an ICU. Method: Research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual. A purposive sample of parents with premature babies in an ICU in a private hospital in Johannesburg Gauteng in South Africa was used. Eight parents, four mothers and four fathers, married and either Afrikaans or English-speaking, were included in the study. Data were collected by conducting in-depth phenomenological interviews with them and making use of field notes. Trustworthiness was ensured by implementing the strategies of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Ethical principles such as autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice were adhered to throughout the research process. Results: Thematic analyses were utilised to analyse the data. Two themes in the experiences of parents with premature babies in ICU became apparent. Parents experienced thoughts, emotions and hope while their premature babies were in the ICU as well as challenges in their relationships and these challenges influenced their experiences.Recommendations: Mindfulness of intensive care nurses should be facilitated so that intensive care nurses can promote the mental health of parents with premature babies in the ICU.Conclusion: Parents with premature babies in the ICU have thoughts and emotional experiences which include hope and they affect parents' relationships

Experiences of patients with hypertension at primary health care in facilitating own lifestyle change of regular physical exercise

Background: Regular physical exercise is one of the lifestyle modification general measures to control the blood pressure (BP) of patients with hypertension. Globally, hypertension is considered a non-communicable disease (NCD), as well as a chronic condition of lifestyle, that contributes to the mortality rate caused by complications of cardiovascular burden of diseases. In South Africa, NCDs account for nearly 40% of adult deaths, with a high prevalence among black people in urban areas such as Soweto. The first step in treating hypertension is lifestyle modification, referred to in this study as health-promoting lifestyle change measures. Despite the positive benefits of regular physical exercise in controlling hypertension, in 2014, only 10% of men and 18% of women with hypertension had their BP controlled to a level that would eliminate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) complications.Objectives: The aim of this article is to present the experiences of patients with hypertension regarding the facilitation of their own health-promoting lifestyle change measure of regular physical exercise.Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. The accessible population of patients with hypertension at three primary health care (PHC) clinics in Soweto was targeted and purposefully sampled. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted to collect data till data saturation occurred. Tesch's open-coding method of data analysis was used.Results and conclusions: Findings show that participants experienced poor self-care due to poor self-efficacy, demonstrated by not engaging in regular physical exercise, which in turn, resulted in uncontrolled BP and cardiovascular complications from hypertension. More should be done to educate, motivate and empower patients with the necessary knowledge, skills and the values in facilitating their own regular physical exercise in order to improve their own quality of health

Views of Adolescents on Addressing Violence in Semi-Rural Secondary Schools in Mafikeng; North West Province

Background: Violence is a public health problem and often an issue of criminal justice.Violence in schools is a worldwide phenomenon and exposes adolescents to premature death. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe adolescents' views on addressing violence in semi-rural secondary schools in Mafikeng. Research design and method: A qualitative; explorative; descriptive and contextual research design was utilised. Purposive sampling was used to select adolescents from semi-rural secondary schools in Mafikeng who fell between the ages of 13 and 20 years and who were involved in community youth groups or associations. In-depth focus group discussion using audiotape; reflexive notes and naive sketches were used for data collection. The central question which was asked was 'What are the adolescents' views on addressing violence in semi-rural secondary schools?' Data were analysed by means of open coding. Results: The results showed that adolescents understood the complexities associated with violence in this country; and they suggested multiple approaches and interventions. The adolescents were of the opinion that responsible communication patterns in the school environment could build healthy relationships between learners and educators and lead to a decrease in violence in the school setting. They also felt that enforcement of a secure teaching environment through encouragement of behavioural and attitudinal change guided by school codes of conduct and provision of firm security will help reduce violence in schools