Abstract
M.A.
This study explores attitudes and fears of HIV counsellors towards HIV testing. A social
constructionistic perspective was used to realize this objective. The researcher hoped to
find out the following:
what attitudes and fears do HIV counselors( who have not tested for HIV), have
towards HIV testing?
how the HIV counsellors’ attitudes and fears differ from those of the general
population.
the environmental factors affecting their decision, their vulnerability to HIV and
what can facilitate their willingness to test.
what strategies can be used (from the HIV counsellors’ point of view), to change
those attitudes and alleviate those fears so that all HIV counsellors can be willing
to undergo voluntary HIV testing.
Tape recorded interviews were conducted with the HIV counsellors who have not tested
for HIV. It was evident in the study that there are attitudes and fears towards HIV testing
which are common to the HIV counselors and the general population, and those which
are peculiar to HIV counselors because of the nature of their job. Also evident in the
study is the fact that HIV counsellors are vulnerable to contracting HIV and therefore
could reap the benefits of knowing their HIV status by undergoing the HIV test.
The researcher together with the HIV counsellors co-designed strategies that will address
those attitudes and fears so that HIV counsellors can be encouraged to undergo voluntary
HIV testing. Since the study was conducted only in the community clinics, the findings
cannot be generalized to all HIV counsellors. The recommendations based on the
findings are that a similar study should be done and should cover a much wider and
broader context to determine if such a study can yield similar results.