Exploring the Spiritual Experiences of Parents on Care and Management of Children Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Chingola, Zambia: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study

The family is the bedrock of the society and parents are at the center of the family in ensuring the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of their children. Being role models and the primary caregivers to their children, parents intrinsically influence their children’s values and attitudes, which in turn affects the wider community. This means that well-balanced, well-rounded parents will produce well-rounded and balanced children and hence, the more stable the community will be. A strong family structure is vital for promoting healthy child development, adding to the stability and affluence of the society. Thus, the parents’ state of being as they care for and manage their child is pivotal to the development of the child and ultimately the society at large. This study explored the spiritual experiences of parents in their management of children living with HIV (CLWH) in Chingola, Zambia. An interpretive phenomenological research design supported by qualitative approach was used. A sample of 10 parents- 9 female and 1 male, drawn from various socioeconomic contexts, and aged between 39 and 69 years were used. These were parents of children living with HIV and aged between 5 to 18 years. Qualitative data was collected through use of open-ended questionnaires and analysed using thematic analysis approach. The analysis involved coding data in order to establish emerging themes which were was conducted, interpreted and presented descriptively as findings. The findings revealed that parents faced various challenges in their care and management of CLWH ranging from stress to emotional burden over their children’s condition. It was also found that parents were fearful and anxious concerning the uncertainty of the trajectory of the child’s illness, burdened with routine hospital visits and refusal to take medicine, which spiritually impacted negatively on them. Further, it was found that the church was seen as being a source of strength by many parents. The spiritual support received from the church harnessed and improved upon their wellbeing, as most parents were receiving spiritual, moral, and material support from the church. It was also found that most of the parents had not disclosed their child’s HIV status for fear of ostracization and stigma, which had a negative effect on them spiritually. Thus, the study recommends that church should come up with a deliberate programme that engages parents and helps them with specific spiritual, moral and material support. Further, the church should scale up HIV sensitisation because stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLWH) which still rife in the church leading to fear of disclosure.