School adjustment of adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS: A case study

Abstract

The study examined the school adjustment of South African adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS . Participants were a convenient sample of 60 adolescents from a secondary school in a major South African city (females = 73 .33%, 50% affected by HIV and AIDS, grade 8 = 40%, grade 9 = 30%, grade 10 = 30%, age range = 16–18 years) . Data on their personal functioning were gathered using the Beck Youth Inventory^TM and the Enhanced School Support Inventory (ESSI) . The data analysis comprised between-group and within-group comparisons, using the t-test statistic . Findings suggest that adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS had significantly lower psychological and behavioural functioning than their typical other peers . Results also show that these affected learners had lower school adjustment than their typical peers . The schools environment can support comprehensive interventions to addresses psychosocial vulnerability among adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS .