Traditional health practitioners' understanding of spirit possession in Gauteng province, South Africa

Background

Traditional health practitioners (THPs) understand spirit possession as a cultural or religious spirit occupying a person, while the mental healthcare providers understand it as a mental illness. The different understanding is based on manifestations that mimic that of mental illness, such as seeing and hearing things that others cannot see or hear. Spirit possession holds different meanings in different cultures and religions that could be either beneficial or detrimental. Furthermore, spirit possession is understood as a channel of communication between the living and the dead or God or a supernatural phenomenon in which a spirit owns a person.

Aim

This study explored and interpreted THPs' understanding of spirit possession in Gauteng province, South Africa.

Method

Hermeneutic phenomenology study explored and interpreted the THPs' understanding of spirit possession in Gauteng province. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 12 THPs who were selected through snowball sampling techniques. Data analysis followed Heidegger's and Gadamer's philosophies and Van Manen's six steps of the analytic approach.

Results

The findings revealed that THPs understood spirit possession as spiritual illness, ancestral calling and demonic spirit or witchcraft.

Conclusion

Traditional health practitioners' understanding of spirit possession could promote mental health and prevent mental illness by providing support to a spirit-possessed person and referral to mental healthcare services.

Contribution

This study contributed that not all manifestations presented by persons with spirit possession are actual and clear-cut mental illness, but could be unwritten cultural and/ or religious illnesses that needs cultural and religious services also.

Integration of traditional medicine into the mental healthcare system in Tshwane, South Africa

BACKGROUND

 Mental healthcare providers have a negative attitude towards the integration of traditional health medicine (THM) into the mental health system. The attitude is based on their lack of trust in traditional practices, which are not supported by substantial evidence-based medical research. The study was conducted to determine mental healthcare providers views on the integration of traditional health medicine into the mental healthcare system.

METHODS

 The study was conducted at a psychiatric hospital in the Tshwane district, Gauteng province, South Africa. A cross-sectional, descriptive research design was conducted on 85 respondents who consented to participate. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire from 23 psychiatrists and 62 psychiatric nurses. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in the form of graphs, frequencies and percentages.

RESULTS

 Mental healthcare providers displayed a negative attitude towards integrating THM in psychiatric hospitals. The results showed no significant difference between psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses in their preference for modern mental healthcare practices (p = 0.25).

CONCLUSION

 There is still doubt among the mental healthcare providers on whether to support integration of the THM into mental health system or not. The doubt is based on the two-health system isolated from each other especially in South Africa.Contribution: This study contributed by showing the need and importance of understanding a patients' cultural background, which supports the integration of a traditional health system into the mental healthcare system, which in turn will lead to the appropriate management of mental illnesses.

Knowledge of final year undergraduate nursing students about HIV and AIDS in Eswatini

Background

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are overwhelming health issues globally. They have caused many devastating and draining health issues, which have escalated a critical need for a well-trained and sustainable healthcare workforce in order to meet the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA). Health science students are the future healthcare providers who will implement proper preventive measures, as well as health educational and promotional sessions to promote information and knowledge among the public regarding HIV and AIDS in Eswatini.

Methods

A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 final-year undergraduate nursing students in three nursing universities in Eswatini. A questionnaire adapted from Othman and Ali in Malaysia with closed-ended questions was modified and used to collect data. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the virus structure, transmission, prevention and management of HIV and AIDS. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was utilised to analyse the data.

Results

The level of knowledge about HIV and AIDS was high, as evidenced by a mean score and standard deviation of (91.02 ± 5.00). However, there were low scores on questions related to the transmission of the disease.

Conclusion

Across all three universities in Eswatini, there were good nursing education programmes on HIV and AIDS, evidenced by the high knowledge level about HIV and AIDS. However, there are still some knowledge gaps on HIV and AIDS transmission and management that need to be attended to.

Contribution

This study contributed by providing knowledge of undergraduate nursing students’ HIV and AIDS training and management of PLWHA.