Abstract #39  -  Disclosure to persons other than sexual partners: Choices and patterns in a South African township
Authors:   Presenting Author:   Prof Paul Webb - NMMU
Additional Authors:  Ms Eileen Scheckle, Prof Lesley Wood,
Aim: This study investigated the disclosure patterns of a sample of people living with HIV and AIDS in a South African township context who have mainly disclosed to non-sexual significant others.
Method / Issue: There is little information in African contexts about reasons for revealing or concealing a positive diagnosis to persons other than sexual partners or, when there is disclosure, to whom and how it is done, or the reason for doing so. This study used small focus-group narrative interviews at a Christian education and aid centre in Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to investigate the disclosure patterns of a sample of people living with HIV and AIDS (13) who have mainly disclosed to non-sexual significant others. The methods used were similar to those used with small groups of young, vulnerable, socially excluded fathers who are users of the statutory social services in the UK (Reeves, 2007).
Results / Comments: The majority (approximately two-thirds) of the respondents chose to disclose to a sibling (almost always a sister), after which the information was often shared (usually indirectly) with other close family members. The participants used information regulation strategies to minimise risk, created protective boundaries to control information flow, and developed some decision making rules. Probing disclosure patterns, as was done in this study, should make a contribution to the debate around, and understandings of, assisting and managing disclosure among people living with HIV and AIDS in African contexts in general, and in township situations in particular.
Discussion: The findings in this study are similar in many aspects to those of other studies worldwide. For example they matched many of the findings about disclosure provided by studies in the United States and in Kenya(Miller & Rubin, 2007) and reflected the patterns revealed in Barain, et al’s. (2007: 246) “Model of HIV Disclosure” for nonsexual relationships. However, the data suggest that in collectivist societies such as the Walmer Township, the form of relational ties between the discloser and the recipient of the information within this group is more important than individual differences between disclosers. The use of intermediaries (in this study mainly sisters) can also be categorised within notions of the nature of disclosure in collectivist societies (Derlega, et al., 2003).
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