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Title Qualitative interviews with mentor mothers living with HIV: potential impacts of role and coping strategies.
Full text https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zw6824r
Date 2012
Author(s) Dhlamini, Lebohang; Knight, Lucia; van Rooyen, Heidi; van Heerden, Alastair; Jane Rotheram-Borus, Mary
Abstract IntroductionIn South Africa where HIV prevalence is high, mentor mother programmes have been used to promote the health and wellbeing of women enrolled in government programmes preventing vertical transmission. The Masihambisane Project trained mentors to be educators and facilitators as "expert patients" in self-help groups. While this and other similar interventions demonstrate positive outcomes for mothers and their children, the long-term repercussions for mentors delivering the intervention are seldom considered. This article explores the personal impact of being a mentor, the potentially traumatizing effects of repeatedly sharing their experiences of living with HIV and the coping strategies they adopt.ResultsTowards the end of the Masihambisane intervention, 10 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with locally recruited mentors living with HIV and were thematically analysed. Mentors found the repeated telling of their stories a painful reminder of adverse personal experiences. In some cases, retelling caused a physical reaction. Mentors relied on coping strategies like taking breaks, writing their experiences down and debriefing sessions. Despite the difficulties associated with their role, some mentors found being advisors and the group sessions therapeutic and empowering.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that the inclusion of peer mentors comes with certain responsibilities. While the mentors were resilient and some found the experience therapeutic and empowering found creative ways to cope with secondary trauma, the negative implications cannot be ignored. To effectively deliver a mentor-driven intervention to mothers enrolled in a programme to prevent vertical transmission, the possibilities of secondary trauma should be considered and mentors provided with ongoing counselling, training on coping skills and regular debriefing sessions.
Subject(s) Humans; HIV Infections; Adaptation; Psychological; Mothers; Interview; Psychological; Mentors; Adult; South Africa; Female; Young Adult; mentor mothers; expert patient; peer supporters; living with HIV; Prevention; Prevention of disease and conditions; and promotion of well-being; Management of diseases and conditions; 7.1 Individual care needs; 3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote wellbeing; Good Health and Well Being; Clinical Sciences; Public Health and Health Services; Other Medical and Health Sciences
Coverage 17391
Publisher eScholarship, University of California
Type of publication article
Format application/pdf
Source Journal of the International AIDS Society, vol 15 Suppl 2, iss Suppl 2
Rights public
Identifier qt7zw6824r
Repository Berkeley - University of California
Added to C-A: 2022-11-28;09:14:55