Abstract
In 2016, 260 000 adolescent between 15 and 24 years were infected with the HI virus world-wide. When combating a generalised epidemic, a targeted and focused approach that caters for these key populations is required to efficiently and successfully prevent new infections – in addition to the existing interventions. Given the importance of parents as socialising agents, the purpose of this research project is to investigate parents’ perceptions of their HIV/AIDS communication with their adolescent children. This study draws on the SEMCHB model’s emphasis of the macro and community aspects in which parent-adolescent discussions about HIV/AIDS are situated. The study focused on the household ecology within which parent-adolescent communication takes place. Aspects such as parenting style, gender, the relationship between parents and adolescents in the household, as well as with other people in the household were looked at and explored. The study employed a qualitative approach, and data was collected through face-to-face interviews with parents. A semi-structured interview schedule was used in the interview process. On the broader policy and community ecology level, this study found that participants in this study feel that they are aware of the many awareness campaigns and HIV/AIDS communication programmes in the country. These include public campaigns, the school syllabus, the media and other social institutions (such as church support groups), and social media. Opportunistic parents often draw on these as a catalyst for conversations with their adolescent children – especially when watching television with their children. On the interpersonal level, this study found that participants emphasise that their adolescents get most information about HIV/AIDS from their friends and members of the household. The latter include their siblings, parents, and the extended family. In general, HIV/AIDS communication tends to focus on the campaigns in the media and public communication. However, this study highlighted the importance and some of the dynamics around the parents’ HIV/AIDS communication, even though this is a qualitative study, with a small sample size, and cannot be generalised to the rest of the population. It is thus recommended that the findings of this study are further elaborated in subsequent studies.
M.A. (Communication Studies)