RESUMO
Background: The stigma of mental illness has been in existence from medieval times to date and it is extended to families of people diagnosed with mental illness. Families with a member diagnosed with a mental illness experience courtesy stigma of mental illness and it affects the quality of their lives. Aim: This study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of courtesy stigma of families with a member diagnosed with a mental illness in Lobatse, Botswana. Setting: The study was conducted at a psychiatric hospital in Lobatse, Botswana. Methods: A qualitative contextual phenomenological design was used for this study. The population comprised of members from families with a person diagnosed with a mental illness and the sample size was 15 participants. Semi-structured in-depth individual interviews were conducted telephonically. Results: The study yielded three main themes and related subthemes. The themes were: families' experiences of received stigma, families' experiences of stigma by association, and families' experiences of internal stigma. Conclusion: Families with a member diagnosed with mental illness experience received stigma, associated stigma and internal stigma. The families experienced that they received dehumanising labels from the public because of their association with their mentally ill family members. Contribution: With the insights gained from the findings of this study, programmes can be developed that raise awareness on stigma of mental illness and to promote support of families of people diagnosed with a mental illness.
RESUMO
Background: Long-distance truck drivers (LDTDs) have a higher rate of HIV infection compared to the general population. This is due to their living and working conditions which predispose them to riskier sexual behaviours. Inadequate knowledge of HIV and AIDS, coupled with risky sexual behaviours such as unprotected sex with commercial sex workers (CSWs), predisposes LDTDs to contract and propagate HIV. This study aims to determine the factors associated with buying sex and the knowledge that condoms prevent HIV transmission among long-distance truck drivers at Kazungula weighbridge terminal in the Chobe District of Botswana.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was employed and 399 LDTDs participated. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data and information on knowledge of HIV and AIDS and the sexual behaviours of the LDTDs.Results: The results reveal that more than half of the LDTDs (56.9%; n = 227) had paid for sex with CSWs at some point in their travels, and 27.1% (n = 108) reported having had unprotected sex with CSWs. The LDTDs who preferred to have sex with CSWs without a condom had about five times the odds of buying sex with CSWs than those who preferred to use a condom (AOR 4.9; 95% CI 2.85-8.46). Disliking condom use was a factor contributing to less knowledge of condom use preventing HIV among the LDTDs (AOR 0.4; CI 0.17-0.97).Conclusion: It can be concluded from the results of this study that the LDTDs engage in considerable risky sexual behaviours, and associated factors were found to be multidimensional. This population remains of concern in HIV acquisition and transmission. Therefore, there is a need for a robust public health response to deal with the problem of both new infection and re-infection with HIV in this population.
