HIV/AIDS in South Africa: a study of the socio-educational development of adolescents orphaned by AIDS in child-headed households

Abstract

The central aim ofthis article is to investigate the impactofHIV I AIDS upon the social and educational development of orphans of AIDS in child-headed households in the rural areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The study explores, describes and interprets the phenomenon of HIV I AIDS within the context of the participants' perspectives of their life-world. The research abides by a qualitative methodology and an interpretive approach since the adolescents have been studied in their natural settings of their homes. Findings of the study have revealed that HIV I AIDS has a definitive negative impact on the social and educational development of adolescents orphaned by AIDS in child-headed households. These adolescents are forced to abandon their schooling either temporarily or permanently because they have to take care of ailing parents and assume adult responsibilities in their homes. Further inhibiting factors on these adolescents' development are generated by abject poverty, the lack parental, social and educational support and social discrimination. The article analyzes and describes how the above-mentioned problems influence these AIDS-affected adolescents cognitively, emotionally, morally, socially and connotatively.

Childhood Adultification in Economically Disadvantaged Families: A Conceptual Model*

“…In considering the implications of adultification knowledge on programs for the poor, it also is important to acknowledge the growing number of children in developing countries, as well as in the poorest communities in America, who are heading households because they do not have parents or other adults to care for them. The dramatic increase in the number of children orphaned by AIDS and the consequent rise in child‐headed households in some developing countries are a stark testimony to how health crises in families coupled with limited formal and informal social support have increased the rank‐and‐file of adultified children globally (Kartell & Chabilall, 2005). Children whose parents are incarcerated represent another potentially growing population of adultified children (Arditti, Lambert‐Shute, & Joest, 2003).…”

Sibling caregiving among children orphaned by AIDS: Synthesis of recent studies for policy implications

“…One of the immediate impacts of AIDS on older siblings was that they had to dropout from school [10][11][12]31,35,38,41]. When children's caring responsibility increased, they were too tired or too busy to regularly attend school, leading to tardiness and poor academic performance [12].…”

“…Articles used for qualitative analysis of constructs, factors, and impacts of sibling caregiving are shown in Table 2 [5,[9][10][11][12][13][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. To answer the second question, 'what kinds of care comprise sibling caregiving', we tabulated the sibling caregiving described in the articles and developed a framework (Table 3).…”

Researching the Determinants of Vulnerability to HIV among Adolescents

“…Parental morbidity and death have the potential to affect not only child education, but also lessen the ability of families to provide the protective support structures to adolescents as they mature sexually. Young people may have to take on extra care-giving roles and may consequently perform poorly in school, drop out, or be withdrawn from school altogether (Hartell and Chabilall 2005). Both Ainsworth et al (2005) and Evans and Miguel (2007) find that reductions in school attendance occurred before the death of a parent.…”