Life Experiences in Parenting: The Perspective of Women with HIV-AIDS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The role of mother with HIV/AIDS in caring for their children has its own complexities. The mother plays a role in taking care of the family as well as being the caregiver for her children. Mothers with HIV-AIDS need to take care of themselves and their children who are either infected or not. Mothers can do multiple roles if their partner leaves them.
 AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine the life experiences of mothers with HIV-AIDS in childcare.
 METHODS: A phenomenological study was chosen as a design to explore the phenomenon of mothers with HIV-AIDS in parenting their children using in-depth interviews. Participants were drawn based on a purposive sample of seven people. The participant’s considerations were the wife who was diagnosed with HIV-AIDS positive and was registered as a patient managed by the HIV-AIDS program at the Serang City Health Center; the participants received ARV treatment, good general condition, able to communicate well, and cooperatively. The data analysis used was Colaizzi.
 RESULTS: The results of the study generate four new themes: Expectation of negative status of the loved ones, lamentations of wives with People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) status, management of sick child care and HIV testing, tendencies of authoritarian, and permissive parenting in children.
 CONCLUSION: Therefore, it is important to increase peer group counseling on the process of disease acceptance, management of sick children management, and implementation of HIV testing that can be accessed by family members of PLWHA.