The role of the social sciences and humanities in pandemic preparedness responses: insights gained from COVID-19, HIV and AIDS and related epidemics.

The COVID-19 pandemic, particularly from 2020 to mid-2022, debilitated the management of the HIV epidemic in Africa. The multiple effects included well-documented HIV service interruptions, curtailment of HIV prevention programmes, the associated marked increase in both the risk for HIV infection among key populations and vulnerability of sub-populations (e.g.

Children and young women in eastern and southern Africa are key to meeting 2030 HIV targets: time to accelerate action.

New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths among children and adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24 years) in eastern and southern Africa continue to occur at unacceptably high rates. The COVID-19 pandemic has also severely undermined ongoing initiatives for HIV prevention and treatment, threatening to set the region back further in its efforts to end AIDS by 2030. Major impediments exist to attaining the UNAIDS 2025 targets among children, adolescent girls, young women, young mothers living with HIV, and young female sex workers residing in eastern and southern Africa.

Perspectives about social support among unmarried pregnant university students in South Africa.

Background: Pregnant young women in an academic environment are susceptible to stressors associated with unintended pregnancy and academic demands of universities. The challenges they face may be exacerbated by lack of social support, putting them at risk of psychological disorders such as depression. Women who receive social support during pregnancy and postpartum experience less emotional distress and report greater maternal satisfaction.

Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study in South Africa.

In this longitudinal study, we examine changes in psychological distress and multidimensional well-being from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among South African adults. As a secondary purpose, we explore whether pre-pandemic flourishing is protective against subsequent psychological distress during the public health crisis. The analytic sample ( = 293; = 44.

A retrospective study exploring how South African newspapers framed Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders over an 11-year period (2004-2014).

Background: The way schizophrenia is portrayed in the media contributes to the dissemination of misinformation about the symptoms, causes, and treatment of mental disorders and has the potential to perpetuate or mitigate the stigmatization of schizophrenia. While research on the news media's role in exacerbating or mitigating the stigmatization of schizophrenia has been conducted widely in other contexts, our search did not yield any study on media framing of schizophrenia in South Africa. Therefore, this study used the framing theory to examine the media framing of schizophrenia following the enactment of two mental health policies in South Africa.

Mental Toughness Development via Military-Style Training in the NCAA: A Three-Phase, Mixed-Method Study of the Perspectives of Strength and Conditioning Coaches.

Sport cultures transmit values for anticipated conduct. Recent events have resulted in injuries/deaths of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes, usually during off-season football training. Through media reports, strength and conditioning coaches (SCC) have been allegedly involved by incorporating military-style training (MST).

COVID-19 vaccines for children and adolescents in Africa: aligning our priorities to situational realities.

The evolving COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global public health crisis that continues to have a major impact on the African continent. Most countries within Africa are facing significant challenges vaccinating their populations for COVID-19. Inadequate COVID-19 vaccine supply, weaknesses in health system infrastructure, COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation, and ineffective health risk communication are contributing to low adult vaccination rates on the continent.

Stress and coping among unmarried pregnant university students in South Africa.

Background: The improvement of maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes is an important part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). MCH remains an important issue globally as the SDGs have not yet been achieved in most countries. Young women in universities are likely to experience unintended pregnancy due to risky sexual behaviors in tertiary institutions which is characterized by lack of condom and/or contraceptive use and coercion.

Body image and antiretroviral therapy adherence among people living with HIV: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains a key challenge to achieving the fast-track goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. To provide a more comprehensive indication of whether interventions designed to promote ART adherence might benefit from targeting body image perceptions, we aim to conduct a systematic review to synthesise existing evidence on the association between body image and ART adherence.

Methods And Analysis: A systematic review of peer-reviewed observational studies and randomised controlled trials that have investigated the association between body image and adherence to ART will be performed.

Beyond the Disease: Contextualized Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Children and Young People Living in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created extraordinary challenges and prompted remarkable social changes around the world. The effects of COVID-19 and the public health control measures that have been implemented to mitigate its impact are likely to be accompanied by a unique set of consequences for specific subpopulations living in low-income countries that have fragile health systems and pervasive social-structural vulnerabilities. This paper discusses the implications of COVID-19 and related public health interventions for children and young people living in Eastern and Southern Africa.

"I like the way I am, but I feel like I could get a little bit bigger": Perceptions of body image among adolescents and youth living with HIV in Durban, South Africa.

Body image concerns are common among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Research into how young people living with HIV (YPLHIV) experience and make sense of feared or actual body changes is limited, yet these changes have emotional, psychological and interpersonal implications for young people who associate physical attractiveness with social desirability. The current study examined the subjective perceptions of body appearance and coping mechanisms among a sample of YPLHIV in Durban, South Africa.

HIV Prevention in Adolescents and Young People in the Eastern and Southern African Region: A Review of Key Challenges Impeding Actions for an Effective Response.

The global commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 places HIV prevention at the centre of the response. With the disease continuing to disproportionately affect young populations in the Eastern and Southern African Region (ESAR), particularly adolescent girls and young women, reducing HIV infections in this group is integral to achieving this ambitious target. This paper examines epidemiological patterns of the HIV epidemic among adolescents and young people, indicating where HIV prevention efforts need to be focused (, adolescent girls and young women, adolescent boys and young men and young key populations).