To our knowledge, this is the first study to document correlates of complicated grief among bereaved adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Participants included 339 female adolescents in South Africa who experienced the loss of a loved one at least six months prior to the survey; their primary caregivers were also surveyed. One-fifth of adolescents were classified as having complicated grief using the Inventory of Complicated Grief Revised for Children in conjunction with grief-induced functional impairment.
Background: Bereavement increases children’s risk for psychological disorders, highlighting the need for effective interventions, especially in areas where orphanhood is common. We aimed to assess the effects of an eight-session support group intervention on the psychological health of bereaved female adolescents in South Africa.
Community-based care and support programmes for orphaned and vulnerable children and their families are a critical component of HIV prevention and treatment efforts worldwide. The challenges of evaluating community-based programmes for HIV-affected families limit the evidence base for effective social work programming. Addressing these challenges can improve the validity of evaluations to provide better direction for the programme under study as well as promote best practices generally.
Children and adolescents affected by HIV are at elevated risk of depression, yet research on related interventions in this population is scarce in sub-Saharan Africa. This study sought to examine the effects of interpersonal psychotherapy for groups (IPTG) on depressive symptomology among orphaned and vulnerable adolescents in South Africa. A cluster randomized controlled trial wherein adolescents ages 14–17 enrolled in community-based programming for HIV-affected and vulnerable families were randomly assigned by geographic cluster to participate in a 16-session IPTG intervention or the standard of care (n = 489).
The objective of this study was to assess standard grief measures through cognitive interviews with bereaved adolescents in Free State, South Africa, and make recommendations designed to improve the measurement of grief in this and similar populations. Twenty-one parentally bereaved adolescents participated in semi-structured cognitive interviews about the Core Bereavement Items (CBI) questionnaire, Grief Cognitions Questionnaire for Children (GCQ-C), or Intrusive Griefs Thoughts Scale (IGTS).
HIV counseling and testing (HCT) is critical for children in generalized epidemic settings, but significant shortfalls in coverage persist, notably among orphans and others at disproportionate risk of infection. This study investigates the impact of a home visiting program in South Africa on orphaned and vulnerable children’s uptake of HCT. Using propensity score matching, survey data for children receiving home visits from trained community-based care workers were compared to data from children living in similar households that had not yet received home visits (n = 1324).
Evidence-based approaches are needed to address the high levels of sexual risk behavior and associated HIV infection among orphaned and vulnerable adolescents. This study recruited adolescents from a support program for HIV-affected families and randomly assigned them by cluster to receive one of the following: (1) a structured group-based behavioral health intervention; (2) interpersonal psychotherapy group sessions; (3) both interventions; or (4) no new interventions.
Cash transfer programs hold significant potential to mitigate the economic burdens resulting from the HIV epidemic and enhance the wellbeing of affected children. South Africa offers two cash transfers designed specifically to benefit children: the Child Support Grant, for low income families with children, and the Foster Child Grant, for children living outside of parental care. Given the high proportion of HIV-affected children who qualify for these grants, increasing grant access among eligible families is a natural objective for many programs targeting orphans and vulnerable children.
HIV places acute stressors on affected children and families; especially in resource limited contexts like sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their importance, the epidemic’s potential consequences for family dynamics and children’s psychological health are understudied. Using a population-based sample of 2,487 caregivers and 3,423 children aged 8–14 years from the Central Province of Kenya, analyses were conducted to examine whether parental illness and loss were associated with family functioning and children’s externalizing behaviors.
Home visiting is a popular component of programs for HIV-affected children in sub-Saharan Africa, but its implementation varies widely. While some home visitors are lay volunteers, other programs invest in more highly trained paraprofessional staff. This paper describes a study investigating whether additional investment in paraprofessional staffing translated into higher quality service delivery in one program context. Beneficiary children and caregivers at sites in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were interviewed after 2 years of program enrollment and asked to report about their experiences with home visiting.
The AIDS epidemic has created an unprecedented number of orphans. While largely absorbed by extended family, this additional responsibility can weigh heavily on their caregivers. The concept of caregiver burden captures multiple dimensions of well-being (e.g., physical, social and psychological). Measuring the extent and determinants of caregiving burden can inform the design of programmes to ease the negative consequences of caregiving. This study uses the baseline data from a study assessing interventions for orphans and vulnerable adolescents in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Children and families affected by HIV are at considerable risk for psychological distress. Community-based home visiting is a common mechanism for providing basic counseling and other services to HIV-affected families. While programs emphasize home visitor training and compensation as means to promote high-quality service delivery, whether these efforts result in measurable gains in beneficiaries’ well-being remains largely unanswered. This study employs a longitudinal quasi-experimental design to explore whether these kinds of investments yield concomitant gains in psychological outcomes among beneficiaries.
Child maltreatment is a serious concern in South Africa and significantly undermines the development and wellbeing of children affected by it. This study aimed to explore the types of abuse that were reported for children brought to the Sunlight Safe House; an after-hours service for abused and abandoned children based in Johannesburg. The sample consisted of 1 461 cases opened at the Sunlight Safe House between January 2006 and June 2012 and included children from birth to 18 years of age.
HIV and AIDS have altered the context in which millions of children in sub-Saharan Africa are raised. Many are under the care of a widowed or ill parent, and others are residing with their extended family. Caregivers of orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) face a variety of stressors that may adversely affect children. This study explores potential benefits of caregivers’ membership in support groups on their own psychosocial well-being, and on the treatment and psychosocial well-being of OVC aged 8–14 under their care.
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR’s) response to the millions of children impacted by HIV/AIDS was to designate 10% of its budget to securing their futures, making it the leading supporter of programs reaching orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) programs globally. This article describes the evolution of PEPFAR’s OVC response based on programmatic lessons learned and an ever growing understanding of the impacts of HIV/AIDS. In launching this international emergency effort and transitioning it toward sustainable local systems, PEPFAR helped establish both the technical content and the central importance of care and support for OVC as a necessary complement to biomedical efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Case management is a standard practice in the United States for the effective care of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA); however, application of this approach in developing countries has not been demonstrated. Although great advances have been made in Africa to increase PLHA’s access to HIV services, care and support systems often remain fragmented. In September 2004, CARE International initiated a case management program in health facilities in Rwanda designed to enhance linkages between clinical and non-clinical services for PLHA.
Sampling methods to study street children often rely on convenience approaches. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a relatively new methodology for sampling hard-to-reach populations utilizing peer-driven recruitment. It includes both field and analytical procedures to account for non-random recruitment patterns and generates statistically valid samples. This article describes RDS and assesses its effectiveness to recruit a diverse sample of street children, defined as children aged 10–17 years who engage in economic activity on the street in Tirana, Albania.
Addressing the psychosocial needs of vulnerable children and youth is viewed increasingly as a priority of humanitarian programs, particularly in Africa, where the scale of the problem necessitates community-based solutions. This quasi-experimental study tested a model of adult mentorship and support to improve psychosocial outcomes among youth-headed households in a rural area of Rwanda. Two rounds of data were collected from youth who served as heads of their households.
Objective To examine the level of depressive symptoms and their predictors in youth from one region of Rwanda who function as heads of household (ie, those responsible for caring for other children) and care for younger orphans.
A consistent theme in the literature on interventions for orphans and vulnerable children is the need for community-based care. However, a number of socio-cultural factors may impede community response. In this study, mixed methods are used to elucidate community-level barriers to care for orphans and vulnerable youth in Rwanda. Data from a large survey of youth heads of household on perceptions of marginalization from the community and the factors predicting that marginalization are considered in light of additional data from a survey of adults who volunteered to mentor these youth and focus groups with both community adults and youth heads of household.