Social Support Disparities for Caregivers of Aids‐orphaned Children in South Africa

Abstract

Drawing upon a sample of 1,599 adults caring for children in HIV-endemic Umlazi Township in South Africa, this cross-sectional survey investigated whether perceived social support varied among caregivers of AIDS-orphaned children (n=359) as compared to caregivers of children orphaned by other causes (n=171) and caregivers of non-orphaned children (n=1,069). Results of multivariate linear regressions indicate that caregivers of AIDS-orphaned children reported significantly lower levels of social support compared to caregivers of other-orphaned children and non-orphaned children independent of socio-demographic covariates. Caregivers of other-orphaned and non-orphaned children reported similar levels of social support. In terms of sources of support, all caregivers were more likely to draw support from family and significant others rather than friends. These findings indicate a need to develop interventions that can increase levels of social support for caregivers of AIDS-orphaned children, particularly networks that include friends and significant others.

Caregiver burden among adults caring for orphaned children in rural South Africa

“…In the context of the AIDS epidemic, millions of orphans have been absorbed into extended families. While most families take on this role willingly, recent research suggests it comes with substantial adverse consequences for the primary caregiver, including higher perceived stress and depression, more chronic illness, worse nutrition and greater health declines over time ( Bachman DeSilva et al, 2008 ; Govender et al, 2011 ; Ice et al, 2010 ; Kruger et al, 2011 ; Kuo & Operario, 2010 ; Kuo et al, 2012 ; Littrell et al, 2011 ). This study used a standardized measure of caregiving burden, adopted from the chronic illness literature, to capture how orphan caregivers perceive their new role and its impact across diverse areas of their lives.…”

“…A similar literature around orphan caregiving is lacking. While recent research highlights the potential physical, social and mental health consequences of orphan caregiving ( Bachman DeSilva et al, 2008 ; Govender et al, 2011 ; Ice, Yogo, Heh, & Juma, 2010 ; Kruger, LekalakalaMokgela, & Wentzel-Viljoen, 2011 ; Kuo & Operario, 2010 ; Kuo, Fitzgerald, Operario, & Casale, 2012 ; Littrell, Boris, Brown, Hill, & Macintyre, 2011 ), the concept of caregiving burden has yet to be applied. Caregiver burden may be an important tool for identifying who is able to cope with the demands of orphan caregiving and who is in need of immediate targeted support.…”

Association between perceived social support and induced abortion: A study in maternal health centers in Lima, Peru

“…For example, having a supportive partner may reduce the experience of low birth weight in the product or have a pregnancy loss [ 29 ]. On the contrary, low levels of social support predispose to higher risk of disease, increase other adverse results and mortality [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Received and perceived support subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales in women diagnosed with breast cancer attending the breast clinic at Tygerberg hospital: structure and correlates

“…Research on social support in South Africa is minimal. Indeed, most health-related research on social support in South Africa has been conducted among caregivers of patients living with HIV/AIDS (e.g., Casale, Wild, Cluver, & Kuo, 2014; Kuo, Fitzgerald, Operario, & Casale, 2012; Singh, Chaudoir, Escobar, & Kalichman, 2011). Other locally conducted studies on social support have been conducted among patients with fibromyalgia (Cooper & Gilbert, 2017), type II diabetes (Ramkisson, Pillay, & Sibanda, 2017), and orthopaedic-related injuries (Maselesele & Idemudia, 2013).…”

“…The South African research cited above only investigated perceived social support, not received social support. In these studies, perceived social support was conceptualised in terms of sources of support (i.e., persons who provided support) (Cooper & Gilbert, 2017; Kuo et al, 2012; Ramkisson et al, 2017; Singh et al, 2011) and the availability of types of support (i.e., emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support) (Casale et al, 2014). Measures used therefore assessed perceived support using these dimensions.…”