The extended family and support for people with Aids in a rural population in south west Uganda

A safety net with holes

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19440643
AutoresJanet Seeley (0000-0002-0583-5272, Medical Research Council), Ellen Kajura (Medical Research Council), C Bachengana (Medical Research Council), Martin Okongo (Medical Research Council), Ulf Wagner (0000-0002-8106-4924, Medical Research Council), Daan Mulder (Medical Research Council)
Año1993
Volumen5
Número1
Páginas117-122
Fecha de publicación1993-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540129308258589
PMID8461355
OpenAlexW2074696045
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas66
Referencias citadas5

It is commonly assumed that the extended family in Africa provides a safety net for individuals in times of need. This paper examines this assumption using data on the care of people with AIDS in a rural population in South West Uganda. Over a six month period data were collected by counsellors on the care given to 30 (17 women, 13 men) AIDS patients by their families. In 27 of the 30 cases there was evidence of limited care. Various reasons were given for this by the carers, including lack of food and money for medications and the carer's other family responsibilities. For 17 clients who died during the study period, records of seven cases show that other relatives were asked to help with care but refused on the grounds of poverty or other commitments. However, in all but one of these cases extended families did provide assistance for the funeral. The findings suggest that there is a need to question the assumption that the extended family, in the culture under study, is able to provide adequate support for AIDS patients

Economic growth · Environmental health · Family medicine · Population · Poverty · Rural area · Safety net · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Global Maternal and Child Health · HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Nursing