Journal Article Review "Caregiver’s Experiences of Informal Support in the Context of HIV/AIDS"

Article Overview

The article by D’ Cruiz was focused at increasing an understanding on the role of social support for people living with HIV/AIDS. The author also addresses the issue of informal networks as an alternative to formal support systems which are sometimes unavailable to family caregivers. The study is undertaken through use of different concepts from the theory of social support. Through a qualitative approach, the researcher interviews twelve family members in Mumbai, India. Major themes that were identified included spontaneous support, support soliciting, the perception of caregiver’s on support reciprocity and experiences.

Information on Human Rights Protection

After identifying participants who matched the required criteria, the researcher introduced the research idea to the respondents. Further, the purpose of the research was also communicated to the respective respondents. This is a clear indication that all the participants were aware of the research and its intention. In addition, the researcher did not coerce or involve any participant unwillingly in the study, rather, they were requested to either participate or rescind the participation. This is also a good indication that the interviewees were informed of their right to either participate or reject the participation. It should be considered that participants have a right to be informed of their participation in any research process. Further, they should also be informed of the whole research process and what the research entails. This implies that the researcher fully adhered to the ethical procedure as regarding the informed consent.

Can the Study be replicated with a different participant sample?

Definitely. This is because there is sufficient information on the procedure used in adhering to the ethical process and participant involvement. For instance, all the ethical processes followed was in the research was mentioned. The full numbers of participants were also identified. Other aspects mentioned include the location of the interview, role and topic of the study, the form of recording, interview transcript. The kind of language used in the interview, and the type of interviewees.

The Relevance of the Procedures for the Research Questions in this Article

The procedures used were relevant for the study’s research questions considered that they considered much emphasis on protecting the rights of participants. This also owes to the sensitivity of the research questions considering that they also touched on the participant’s private lives. The focus on the community, and individual’s private and sensitive lives necessitates a presentation of detailed procedures as done by the authors.

Research Instruments

There was identification of the research instrument used by the authors. In this case, the author explained that the instrument employed was an in-depth interview. However, despite explaining of having used observation as a method of study, there was no disclosure on the use of observation guide as one of the instruments. The instruments identified in the study could be considered appropriate in answering the research question. However, it could be more effective if the researcher incorporated the use of questionnaire for this kind of study. This owes to the fact that the study had to answer many questions and therefore, could need the participation of many respondents.