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Namibia has one of the highest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence rates and one of the highest rates of orphanhood in the world, and older caregivers provide much of the care to Namibians living with HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (UNAIDS, 2014). In this study, the authors explore how financial status, social support, and health were related to the resilience of caregivers caring for people affected by HIV and AIDS in rural northern Namibia, Africa.Data were collected through a structured interview from (N = 147) caregivers from the Zambezi region.Findings from this study show that employment and physical health were significantly associated with increased resilience in older caregivers.Our findings point to the need for employment assistance and health services to improve the resilience of caregivers caring for people living with HIV and AIDS. We conclude that there is a need for more vigorous concerted efforts from public and private sector practitioners and policy makers to create more sustained formal employment opportunities and intervention programs aimed at improving the overall health of older HIV caregivers, especially those residing in rural HIV endemic communities in developing countries.

The current study sought to investigate the association between HIV-related stigma, self-esteem, social support, and depression of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) in Namibia.Purposive sampling was used to recruit a total of 124 men and women living with HIV/AIDS in the Katima Mulilo region of northern Namibia. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect information on demographics, self-esteem, social support, HIV-related stigma, and depression.Correlation analysis revealed that HIV-related stigma, self-esteem, and social support were all significantly correlated with depression. Further, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis indicated that HIV-related stigma was the largest risk factor and self-esteem was the largest protective factor with respect to depressive symptoms.Findings indicated the necessity of appropriate assessment and intervention for psychosocial distress among PLWHA. Helping professionals should design evidence-based interventions that address individual and societal challenges that impact people living with HIV and AIDS.

Social work with young people under 18 years of age living with HIV, one of the fastest growing populations of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is emerging as an increasingly important practice area in Sub-Saharan Africa. This current study focused on the association between several psychosocial factors and self-esteem among 188 youth living with HIV in the Zambezi region of rural north-eastern Namibia. This study used hierarchical multivariate regression to examine how depressive symptoms, adherence to HIV treatment, HIV/AIDS transmission literacy, and HIV status disclosure were associated with selfesteem among youth living with HIV in the Zambezi region. Our study found that having grandparents as primary caregivers, knowing about HIV transmission, adhering to HIV treatment protocols, disclosing one’s HIV status to someone else, and having fewer depressive symptoms had a positive effect on a youth’s self-esteem. Our findings point to the need for African social workers to expand youth-focused interventions that promote mental health, HIV adherence, HIV/AIDS transmission literacy, and HIV disclosure, especially among youth living in rural areas of Africa with high HIV prevalence rates.