Iseselo Masunga K, Lukumay Gift G, Mosha Idda H
Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Department of Community Health Nursing, School of Nursing, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
East Afr Health Res J. 2024;8(3):417-425. doi: 10.24248/eahrj.v8i3.812. Epub 2025 Jan 30.
People living with HIV (PLWH) face numerous psychosocial challenges within the context of healthcare systems and the community where they live. This study aimed to describe psychosocial challenges and individual coping strategies among adults attending Care and Treatment Clinics (CTCs) in Ubungo Municipality, Tanzania.
A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at CTCs in Ubungo Municipality, an urban setting in Dar es Salaam. Data were collected through audio-recorded in-depth interviews with 10 purposively selected participants. Audio files were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.
Difficulty in accepting HIV-positive test results, feeling desperate, fears of HIV disclosure, HIV-related stigma, and financial instability related to HIV infection were the main psychosocial challenges described by the participants. However, their main coping strategies included seeking social support, positive experiences from regular CTC attendance, adaptive coping, disregarding people's comments, and seeking HIV-related information.
PLWH encounter various psychosocial challenges. Feeling desperate, fear of HIV disclosure, and HIV-related stigma are the main causes of psychosocial distress among people diagnosed with HIV. Changing the individual perspectives on these challenges through effective coping strategies can improve the quality of life for PLWH. The Ministry of Health, through the National AIDS Control Program, can design interventions focused on addressing these challenges. Future research should be undertaken to quantify the magnitude of these challenges and the coping strategies in similar settings.
艾滋病病毒感染者（PLWH）在其所处的医疗系统及社区环境中面临众多心理社会挑战。本研究旨在描述坦桑尼亚达累斯萨拉姆市乌本戈市护理与治疗诊所（CTCs）成年就诊者所面临的心理社会挑战及个人应对策略。
在达累斯萨拉姆市城区乌本戈市的CTCs开展了一项定性描述性研究。通过对10名有目的选取的参与者进行录音深度访谈收集数据。音频文件逐字转录，并采用主题分析法进行分析。
参与者描述的主要心理社会挑战包括难以接受HIV阳性检测结果、感到绝望、害怕公开感染HIV情况、与HIV感染相关的耻辱感以及与HIV感染相关的经济不稳定。然而，他们的主要应对策略包括寻求社会支持、定期到CTCs就诊带来的积极体验、适应性应对、无视他人评论以及寻求与HIV相关的信息。
艾滋病病毒感染者面临各种心理社会挑战。感到绝望、害怕公开感染HIV情况以及与HIV感染相关的耻辱感是确诊感染HIV者心理社会困扰的主要原因。通过有效的应对策略改变个人对这些挑战的看法可改善艾滋病病毒感染者的生活质量。卫生部可通过国家艾滋病控制项目设计针对应对这些挑战的干预措施。未来应开展研究以量化类似环境中这些挑战及应对策略的程度。
