Daily life with early orphanhood from hiv/aids: An exploratory study

This study explored the everyday lived life by South African early adolescents orphaned by HIV/AIDS . Informants were ten early adolescents (age range 12 to 14 years; females = 6; males = 4) from a low socioeconomic status neighbourhood of Johannesburg . The adolescents completed autobiographical essays and in-depth individual interviews on their quality of life in the school, home, and community . Thematic analysis of the data revealed the early adolescents, orphaned due to HIV/AIDS, to experience extreme sadness, anxiety, and fear . Their sense of emotional distress was compounded by living in material and relational poverty, with frequent exposure to bullying at school, and crime in their neighbourhood . Integrated psycho-social interventions addressing both material and relational poverty might enhance the physical and psycho-social well-being of adolescents with orphanhood from HIV/AIDS .