Support measures for the next of kin who has experienced the unexpected loss of a family member to HIV/AIDS

BACKGROUND: Passing of a close family member is one of the foremost traumatic occasions in a person’s life. The way in which this misfortune unfolds, shifts from individual to individual, and depend on how close you were with the deceased. It was unclear on what were the support measures provided to youth after the loss a family member to HIV/AIDS. AIM: The aim of this article is to understand the support measures for the youth following the unexpected loss of a family member to HIV/AIDS. SETTING: Khayelitsha, Western Cape province, South Africa. METHOD: A descriptive phenomenological design was followed, with an accessible population of youth who lost a family member to HIV/AIDS. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 purposively selected participants after obtaining written informed consent. The sessions held with an interview schedule, did not take longer than 45 minutes to conduct until data saturation was reached. A digital recorder was used and field notes held. Open coding followed after transcribing interviews. RESULTS: Youths did not know how to manage themselves as a result of a lack of therapeutic sessions, which could provide emotional support and help them with their healing process. CONCLUSION: Support measures for the next of kin were needed. Grieving influenced the emotions of an individual who experienced the burden of not having someone to speak to about their feelings. CONTRIBUTION: The context-based information in this study addresses the important of support measures to be provided or implemented for the next of kin after they had lost a family member.