Abstract:
This study investigated the correlation between Parent's HIV status, multiple types of violence and children's future behavioural outcome in Mpumalanga and Western Cape Province. The study objectives were to determine parent’s HIV status and childhood violence exposure, to determine the prevalence of multiple types of violence, to investigate children’s future behavioural outcomes and to establish the correlation between parent’s HIV status, multiple types of violence and children’s future behavioural outcomes.
Methods: Using a cross sectional survey design, a total number of 3515 were selected to participate in the study. 751 were males and 913 were females residing in Mpumalanga, while 772 males and 1079 were females residing in the Western Cape areas. Teenagers from the urban and rural areas of Mpumalanga and Western Cape Province were selected (MP=urban 848 and WC=930) (MP=rural 816 and WC=921).
Their age range was 13 - 17 years and was teenagers. The study employed a secondary data analysis of the data collected in the selected areas of Mpumalanga and Western Cape Provinces by the University of Oxford. This was in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Cape Town, and the Department of Social Development and Department of Health and Education in Pretoria about Violence in the study Teen Talk 2 South Africa 2011 (www.youngcarers.org.za).
Secondary data were analysed using SPSS version 27 software. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed during data analysis. Furthermore, a cross-tabulations were used to determine differences in multiple types of violence and HIV status.
Results: Positive relationships between variables were seen. There was an influence of the independent variable on the dependant variable. Parent’s HIV status had a positive relationship with multiple types of violence and children’s future behavioural outcome.
Recommendations: Parents and community members should be psycho-educated about childhood violence exposure to create an enabling environment for their children’s mental health and development. Programs that enhance the children’s mental health should be implemented in the Mpumalanga and Western Cape Province, if not the rest of the country.
Conclusion: The study concluded that childhood violence exposure results negatively. It affects children psychologically and disrupting their daily functioning and exposing them to psychological conditions that last longer.
Keywords: Violence exposure, Parents HIV status and children’s future behavioural outcome.
