title: "I have lost sexual interest …"-challenges of balancing personal and professional lives among nurses caring for people living with HIV and AIDS in Limpopo, South Africa.
abstract: As part of a capacity-building research project, this study examined the extent to which caring for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) affects both professional and personal relationships of nurse caregivers. The data were collected using focus group interviews with 17 female nurses at two Limpopo hospitals. The PEN-3 cultural model was used as a theoretical framework for exploring how nurses balance job demands with family responsibilities. The results generated three themes: the multiple identities nurses experience within their family and professional lives; nurse attitudes related to patient gender; and stigma experienced by nurses who care for PLWHA. Caring for PLWHA influences nurses' personal and professional lives by interfering with their perceptions and emotions as they relate to spousal, parental, and gendered relationships. The findings offer insight into factors requiring consideration when designing interventions to help nurses cope with the stress associated with caring for PLWHA while simultaneously managing family responsibilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA. yas108@psu.edu
authors.forename: Yewande
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sofolahan
authors.forename: Collins
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Airhihenbuwa
authors.forename: Daisy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Makofane
authors.forename: Ephraim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mashaba
mesh_terms: D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004645:Empathy; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000451:nursing*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D057545:Social Stigma; D013019:South Africa