Galvin Michael, Coetzee Lezanie, Leshabana Patricia, Masebe Nthabiseng, Lebepe Shitshembiso, Moolla Aneesa, Tarullo Amanda R, Rockers Peter C, Evans Denise
University of the Witwatersrand.
Boston University.
Res Sq. 2023 Jun 26:rs.3.rs-3068420. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3068420/v1.
Although Western biomedical treatment has dramatically increased across sub-Saharan African health systems, traditional medicine as a form of healing and beliefs in supernatural powers as explanations for disease remain prevalent. Research in this region has identified HIV in particular as a disease located within both the traditional African and Western medical paradigms, whilst mental illness is ascribed to primarily supernatural causes. Within this context, this study sought to understand and explore the perceptions of HIV and mental illness among a population of rural women in Limpopo, South Africa. 82 in-depth interviews were conducted between January and December, 2022. Interviews were transcribed and translated into English. Data were managed using NVivo 11 software and thematically analyzed. The majority of participants identified HIV as a Western illness requiring biomedical treatment with causation largely attributed to biological mechanisms. A traditional form of HIV only cured using traditional treatments was also denoted. Unlike for HIV, the majority of respondents felt that there was no biological or behavioral cause for mental illness but rather the illness was conceptualized supernaturally thus likely impacting patient care pathways. Further research to study HIV and mental health perceptions among a larger sample in different regions of sub-Saharan Africa is warranted.
尽管撒哈拉以南非洲的卫生系统中西方生物医学治疗显著增加，但传统医学作为一种治疗形式以及将超自然力量视为疾病解释的观念仍然普遍存在。该地区的研究特别指出，艾滋病在非洲传统医学和西方医学范式中都被视为一种疾病，而精神疾病主要归因于超自然原因。在此背景下，本研究旨在了解和探索南非林波波省农村女性群体对艾滋病和精神疾病的认知。2022年1月至12月期间进行了82次深入访谈。访谈内容被转录并翻译成英文。使用NVivo 11软件管理数据并进行主题分析。大多数参与者将艾滋病视为一种需要生物医学治疗的西方疾病，其病因主要归因于生物学机制。还提到了一种仅用传统疗法治疗的传统形式的艾滋病。与艾滋病不同，大多数受访者认为精神疾病没有生物学或行为方面的病因，而是从超自然角度来理解这种疾病，因此可能会影响患者的护理途径。有必要在撒哈拉以南非洲不同地区对更大样本进行关于艾滋病和心理健康认知的进一步研究。
