“I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa
Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) (10–19 years) make up approximately 4.2% (320,000) of people living with HIV in South Africa. Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by pervasive biological, social and psychological changes, which challenges adherence and retention in care for ALHIV...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/5/126 |
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| author | Charné Petinger Brian van Wyk Talitha Crowley |
| author_facet | Charné Petinger Brian van Wyk Talitha Crowley |
| author_sort | Charné Petinger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) (10–19 years) make up approximately 4.2% (320,000) of people living with HIV in South Africa. Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by pervasive biological, social and psychological changes, which challenges adherence and retention in care for ALHIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Further, as ALHIV grow “older”, they are expected to transition to the adult HIV treatment programme, where they should assume greater responsibility for managing their chronic condition and healthcare pathway. Whereas it is imperative that ALHIV are transitioned when they are ready, little is known about the challenges and experiences of ALHIV before and during transition. The aim of this paper was to report on the experiences and challenges of transition for ALHIV who received ART at an adolescent-friendly service that is adjunct to a public primary healthcare facility in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Methods: Photovoice methods were employed to explore the transition experiences of ALHIV on ART at a “supportive transition” public health facility in the Cape Town Metro in South Africa. Participants took pictures that depict their experience pre- and during transition to adult care and discussed these in groups with peers. Audio data were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis using Atlas.Ti version 24. Results: The emergent themes described their apprehension to transitioning to adult care; self-management; challenges to adherence; the need for psychosocial support; and how adolescent-friendly services were filling the gap. Conclusions: We illuminate the “I-We-I” configuration, to reflect (the first “I”) individual ALHIV experiences as isolated before being transferred to the supportive facility; how they experience a sense of belonging and family (“we”) in the supportive facility; but face apprehension about transitioning to adult care in the local clinic, where they have to self-manage (final “I”). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6239caf65cf64ea4850592d99d7b59a1 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj-art-6239caf65cf64ea4850592d99d7b59a12025-08-20T02:33:48ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662025-05-0110512610.3390/tropicalmed10050126“I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South AfricaCharné Petinger0Brian van Wyk1Talitha Crowley2School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South AfricaSchool of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South AfricaSchool of Nursing, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South AfricaAdolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) (10–19 years) make up approximately 4.2% (320,000) of people living with HIV in South Africa. Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by pervasive biological, social and psychological changes, which challenges adherence and retention in care for ALHIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Further, as ALHIV grow “older”, they are expected to transition to the adult HIV treatment programme, where they should assume greater responsibility for managing their chronic condition and healthcare pathway. Whereas it is imperative that ALHIV are transitioned when they are ready, little is known about the challenges and experiences of ALHIV before and during transition. The aim of this paper was to report on the experiences and challenges of transition for ALHIV who received ART at an adolescent-friendly service that is adjunct to a public primary healthcare facility in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Methods: Photovoice methods were employed to explore the transition experiences of ALHIV on ART at a “supportive transition” public health facility in the Cape Town Metro in South Africa. Participants took pictures that depict their experience pre- and during transition to adult care and discussed these in groups with peers. Audio data were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis using Atlas.Ti version 24. Results: The emergent themes described their apprehension to transitioning to adult care; self-management; challenges to adherence; the need for psychosocial support; and how adolescent-friendly services were filling the gap. Conclusions: We illuminate the “I-We-I” configuration, to reflect (the first “I”) individual ALHIV experiences as isolated before being transferred to the supportive facility; how they experience a sense of belonging and family (“we”) in the supportive facility; but face apprehension about transitioning to adult care in the local clinic, where they have to self-manage (final “I”).https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/5/126ALHIVHIVtransitions of carephotovoiceSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Charné Petinger Brian van Wyk Talitha Crowley “I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease ALHIV HIV transitions of care photovoice South Africa |
| title | “I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa |
| title_full | “I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | “I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | “I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa |
| title_short | “I-We-I”: Visualizing Adolescents’ Perceptions and Apprehension to Transition to Adult HIV Care at a Supportive Transition Facility in the Cape Town Metropole, South Africa |
| title_sort | i we i visualizing adolescents perceptions and apprehension to transition to adult hiv care at a supportive transition facility in the cape town metropole south africa |
| topic | ALHIV HIV transitions of care photovoice South Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/5/126 |
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