Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer

The central phenomenon of interest to the authors was the experiences of Batswana women who have been diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. They wanted to know how these women and their families coped with the burden of the two ‘fatal’ diseases. This interest was brought about by the cur...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: T. Molefe, S.E. Duma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2009-09-01
Series:Curationis
Online Access:https://curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/982
_version_ 1819242890914693120
author T. Molefe
S.E. Duma
author_facet T. Molefe
S.E. Duma
author_sort T. Molefe
collection DOAJ
description The central phenomenon of interest to the authors was the experiences of Batswana women who have been diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. They wanted to know how these women and their families coped with the burden of the two ‘fatal’ diseases. This interest was brought about by the current surge in cervical cancer cases in the country, and the relationship between the two diseases. There is scant literature on the experiences of women with the dual diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of Batswana women who are diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. The research question was ‘What are the experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer?’ A phenomenological descriptive qualitative research design was therefore appropriate to answer the research question. Semi-structured interviews and field notes were used to collect data. One-to-one interviews were conducted with six women diagnosed with the two diseases. Both convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used in selection of participants. The seven procedural steps proposed by Collaizi (1978) were utilized in data analysis as the study was based on the phenomenology approach. The findings revealed that HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer are chronic illnesses that can instill chronic emotional pain. Reactions to diagnosis with these diseases include pain, fear or intense sadness. Coping with these conditions can be facilitated by different strategies such as acceptance, having hope, support from others and positive thinking. Support can come from children, family members, informal or formal groups and health service providers.
first_indexed 2024-12-23T14:47:00Z
format Article
id doaj.art-bedfc02b68124611befc1e6f204095cb
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0379-8577
2223-6279
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-23T14:47:00Z
publishDate 2009-09-01
publisher AOSIS
record_format Article
series Curationis
spelling doaj.art-bedfc02b68124611befc1e6f204095cb2022-12-21T17:43:04ZengAOSISCurationis0379-85772223-62792009-09-01324293910.4102/curationis.v32i4.982869Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancerT. Molefe0S.E. Duma1Division of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Cape TownDivision of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Cape TownThe central phenomenon of interest to the authors was the experiences of Batswana women who have been diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. They wanted to know how these women and their families coped with the burden of the two ‘fatal’ diseases. This interest was brought about by the current surge in cervical cancer cases in the country, and the relationship between the two diseases. There is scant literature on the experiences of women with the dual diagnosis of HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of Batswana women who are diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. The research question was ‘What are the experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer?’ A phenomenological descriptive qualitative research design was therefore appropriate to answer the research question. Semi-structured interviews and field notes were used to collect data. One-to-one interviews were conducted with six women diagnosed with the two diseases. Both convenience and purposive sampling techniques were used in selection of participants. The seven procedural steps proposed by Collaizi (1978) were utilized in data analysis as the study was based on the phenomenology approach. The findings revealed that HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer are chronic illnesses that can instill chronic emotional pain. Reactions to diagnosis with these diseases include pain, fear or intense sadness. Coping with these conditions can be facilitated by different strategies such as acceptance, having hope, support from others and positive thinking. Support can come from children, family members, informal or formal groups and health service providers.https://curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/982
spellingShingle T. Molefe
S.E. Duma
Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer
Curationis
title Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer
title_full Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer
title_fullStr Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer
title_full_unstemmed Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer
title_short Experiences of Batswana women diagnosed with both HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer
title_sort experiences of batswana women diagnosed with both hiv aids and cervical cancer
url https://curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/982
work_keys_str_mv AT tmolefe experiencesofbatswanawomendiagnosedwithbothhivaidsandcervicalcancer
AT seduma experiencesofbatswanawomendiagnosedwithbothhivaidsandcervicalcancer