The role of religious belief and faith-based organizations in coping with HIV/AIDS.

Abstract

The biggest pandemic that the Sub- Saharan Africa is faced with is HIV / AIDS. This research examines the experience and challenges of living with HIV / AIDS; as well as how people living with HIV / AIDS use religious/spiritual coping mechanisms and the effect on their quality of life. In addition, it examines the perceived role and effect of Faith-Based Organisations in enabling or impairing coping with their HIV challenges. A qualitative methodology was adopted and semi-structured interviews conducted with ten individuals living with HIV / AIDS. A thematic analysis of these transcripts revealed that most of the interviewees used religious/spiritual coping methods, which generally led to improved quality of life. However, results also showed that religious beliefs/practices could also be a hindrance to coping.