Abstract
HIV remains a complex and public health concern in South Africa. The country’s population by mid-year 2024 was 63,02 million with 8,0 million estimated to be living with HIV. The prevalence rate of HIV in the country is approximately 12,7% with 4 900 00 women living with HIV by 2023, of these women 257 171 were pregnant women receiving antiretroviral therapy (ARVs) to prevent mother to child transmission1,2. Pregnancy is a complex phenomenon linked to heighted anxiety about the birth processes and safety of the unborn baby. An HIV diagnosis at this time could worsen the mental wellbeing of the woman. At the same time, the World Health Organization recommends that HIV testing should be integrated into antenatal care visit2. Additionally, the National Integrated Maternal and Perinatal Care Guidelines for South Africa3 mandate for HIV testing to be offered to all pregnant women with unknown or HIV-negative status as part of HIV prevention strategies. These strategies are known to be effective in reducing potential adverse outcomes for both the mother and the unborn child if HIV is diagnosed early in the pregnancy and treatment is initiated on time4-6.
While HIV testing may be beneficial, it may negatively impact on the relationships of those who form a supportive structure during pregnancy. This is linked to the complexities of disclosing one’s HIV status to significant others such as discrimination and possible abandonment from the life partner of the pregnant woman7,8. The relationships of pregnant women following HIV diagnosis were explored using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative design. Twenty (20) women diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy were purposively selected from a local clinic in South Africa and must have been diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy, whether pregnant or not at the time of data collection. Following ethical clearance, permission and informed consent, unstructured face-to-face interview were conducted in English and data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Two overarching themes emerged: (1) changed relationships with significant others impacting on the mental health of the women; and (2) need psychosocial support to improve relationships with significant others. These results highlight the negative impact of HIV on the relationships of the women necessitating psychosocial support services like counselling and support groups to improve mental well-being and relationship quality for the women diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy.
Notes
References:
1. UNAIDS. (2023). Country Factsheets: South Africa. https://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/southafrica
2. World Health Organization. (2023). HIV Testing Services Dashboards. https://cfs.hivci.org/index.html
3. Department of Health. (2023). National Integrated Maternal and Perinatal Care Guidelines for South Africa.
4. Blanche, S. (2020). Mini review: Prevention of mother–child transmission of HIV: 25 years of continuous progress toward the eradication of pediatric AIDS? Virulence, 11(1), 14–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2019.1697136
5. Chilaka, V. N., & Konje, J. C. (2021). HIV in pregnancy – An update. European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 256, 484–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.11.034
6. Obeagu EI, & Obeagu GU (2024). Neonatal Outcomes in Children Born to Mothers with Severe Malaria, HIV, and Transfusion History: A Review. Elite Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 2(3)(March), 38–58
7. Madiba, S. (2021). When pregnancy coincides with positive diagnosis of hiv: Accounts of the process of acceptance of self and motherhood among women in South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413006
8. Sanga, E., Nampewo, Z., PrayGod, G., & Wringe, A. (2023). HIV Positive status disclosure to sexual partners: a qualitative study to explore experiences and challenges among clients attending HIV care services in North-Western Tanzania. AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, 35(7), 953–960. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2021.2012555
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Primary Care, Stress and Coping, HIV, South Africa
Recommended Citation
Mokoena-de Beer, Andile Glodin; Mahlangu, Sister Vanessa; and Makhavhu, Eugene Musiiwa, "Navigating Interpersonal Connections: Relationships of Pregnant Women Following HIV Diagnosis" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 98.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/98
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Navigating Interpersonal Connections: Relationships of Pregnant Women Following HIV Diagnosis
Seattle, Washington, USA
HIV remains a complex and public health concern in South Africa. The country’s population by mid-year 2024 was 63,02 million with 8,0 million estimated to be living with HIV. The prevalence rate of HIV in the country is approximately 12,7% with 4 900 00 women living with HIV by 2023, of these women 257 171 were pregnant women receiving antiretroviral therapy (ARVs) to prevent mother to child transmission1,2. Pregnancy is a complex phenomenon linked to heighted anxiety about the birth processes and safety of the unborn baby. An HIV diagnosis at this time could worsen the mental wellbeing of the woman. At the same time, the World Health Organization recommends that HIV testing should be integrated into antenatal care visit2. Additionally, the National Integrated Maternal and Perinatal Care Guidelines for South Africa3 mandate for HIV testing to be offered to all pregnant women with unknown or HIV-negative status as part of HIV prevention strategies. These strategies are known to be effective in reducing potential adverse outcomes for both the mother and the unborn child if HIV is diagnosed early in the pregnancy and treatment is initiated on time4-6.
While HIV testing may be beneficial, it may negatively impact on the relationships of those who form a supportive structure during pregnancy. This is linked to the complexities of disclosing one’s HIV status to significant others such as discrimination and possible abandonment from the life partner of the pregnant woman7,8. The relationships of pregnant women following HIV diagnosis were explored using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative design. Twenty (20) women diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy were purposively selected from a local clinic in South Africa and must have been diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy, whether pregnant or not at the time of data collection. Following ethical clearance, permission and informed consent, unstructured face-to-face interview were conducted in English and data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Two overarching themes emerged: (1) changed relationships with significant others impacting on the mental health of the women; and (2) need psychosocial support to improve relationships with significant others. These results highlight the negative impact of HIV on the relationships of the women necessitating psychosocial support services like counselling and support groups to improve mental well-being and relationship quality for the women diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy.
Description
HIV in South Africa is still a growing public health concern. Women are required to test at the initial antenatal visit to curb vertical transmissions. A positive test during pregnancy could impact the relationships of the woman and may result in negative mental health outcomes, linked to the complexities of HIV disclosure. Hence the study aims to explore the relationships of pregnant women during pregnancy.