Assertiveness and attitudes of HIV/AIDS orphaned girls towards education in Kampala (Uganda)

Whereas HIV/AIDS prevalence has been declining in Uganda from 30 to less than 10 in the last 2 decades; the number of HIV/AIDS orphaned girls in secondary schools is still high and girl children have tended to carry the heaviest burdens of family responsibilities thereby adversely affecting their assertiveness and attitudes towards education. Assertiveness is a critical life skill that enables a person to state an opinion; claim a right; or establish authority and it is important to improve attitude towards education. This study examined the relationship between assertiveness and attitude towards education of HIV/AIDS orphaned and non-orphaned adolescent school girls in Kampala. The California Psychological Inventory (CPI) Dominance (Do) Assertiveness Scale and the Attitude Scale were administered to 225 students consecutively selected from 6 secondary schools in Kampala. HIV/AIDS Orphaned girls had lower levels of assertiveness and most had a negative attitude towards education compared to non-orphaned girls. Girls orphaned to HIV/AIDS were less assertive compared to those orphaned by other causes. There was a positive relationship between assertiveness and attitude towards education among orphaned adolescent secondary school girls in Kampala. Girls orphaned to HIV/AIDS were less assertive compared to other school girls and have a poor attitude towards education

Self-Esteem and Attitudes of Girls Orphaned to HIV/AIDS towards Education in Kampala, Uganda.

Aims: To examine the relationship between self-esteem and attitudes to education among orphaned and non-orphaned adolescent secondary school girls in Kampala. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Institute of Psychology, School of Education, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda between June and October 2005. Methodology: Questionnaire including the socio-economic indicators, Rosenberg General Self-Esteem Scale and the Attitude Scale were administered to 225 students who were selected by simple random sampling in six secondary schools in Kampala, Uganda. Results: Orphaned girls had lower self-esteem and most had a negative attitude to education compared to non-orphans. However, girls orphaned to HIV/AIDS had a higher self-esteem compared to those orphaned by other causes and there was a positive correlationship between self-esteem and attitude towards education among orphaned adolescent girls in Kampala, Uganda. Conclusion: Non-orphaned girls have a higher self-esteem than orphaned girls. Non-orphaned girls have a more positive attitude to education compared to orphaned girls. Girls orphaned to HIV/AIDS have slightly higher self-esteem than those orphaned by other causes, but had the worst attitude to education. Recommendations: A special needs program should be designed to support orphan girls in secondary school so as to enable them perform better in their education. Additional study should be conducted among secondary school boys to compare the effects of orphan hood to their education and to see whether there are some disparities in the two genders of the same age group.