Balancing roles and blurring boundaries : community health workers’ experiences of navigating the crossroads between personal and professional life in rural South Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorLaurenzi, Christina A.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSkeen, Sarahen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorRabie, Stephanen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorCoetzee, Bronwyne J.en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorNotholi, Vuyolwethuen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBishop, Juliaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorChademana, Emmaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorTomlinson, Marken_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-19T11:49:55Z
dc.date.available2022-08-19T11:49:55Z
dc.date.issued2020-09
dc.descriptionCITATION: Laurenzi, C. A. et al. 2020. Balancing roles and blurring boundaries: Community health workers’ experiences of navigating the crossroads between personal and professional life in rural South Africa. Health & Social Care in the Community, 29(5):1249–1259. doi:10.1111/hsc.13153
dc.descriptionThe original publication is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652524
dc.description.abstractAs demand for health services grows, task-shifting to lay health workers has become an attractive solution to address shortages in human resources. Community health workers (CHWs), particularly in low-resource settings, play critical roles in promoting equitable healthcare among underserved populations. However, CHWs often shoulder additional burdens as members of the same communities in which they work. We examined the experiences of a group of CHWs called Mentor Mothers (MMs) working in a maternal and child health programme, navigating the crossroads between personal and professional life in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. Semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 10) were conducted by an experienced isiXhosa research assistant, asking MMs questions about their experiences working in their own communities, and documenting benefits and challenges. Interviews were transcribed and translated into English and thematically coded. Emergent themes include balancing roles (positive, affirming aspects of the role) and blurring boundaries (challenges navigating between professional and personal obligations). While many MMs described empowering clients to seek care and drawing strength from being seen as a respected health worker, others spoke about difficulties in adequately addressing clients’ needs, and additional burdens they adopted in their personal lives related to the role. We discuss the implications of these findings, on an immediate level (equipping CHWs with self-care and boundary-setting skills), and an intermediate level (introducing opportunities for structured debriefings and emphasising supportive supervision). We also argue that, at a conceptual level, CHW programmes should provide avenues for professionalisation and invest more up-front in their workforce selection, training and support.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.13153
dc.description.versionPublishers version
dc.format.extent11 pages
dc.identifier.citationLaurenzi, C. A. et al. 2020. Balancing roles and blurring boundaries: Community health workers’ experiences of navigating the crossroads between personal and professional life in rural South Africa. Health & Social Care in the Community, 29(5):1249–1259. doi:10.1111/hsc.13153
dc.identifier.issn1365-2524 (online)
dc.identifier.issn0966-0410 (print)
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.1111/hsc.13153
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/125633
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherWiley
dc.rights.holderAuthors retain copyright
dc.subjectWork-life balanceen_ZA
dc.subjectWomen in medicineen_ZA
dc.subjectCommunity health nursingen_ZA
dc.titleBalancing roles and blurring boundaries : community health workers’ experiences of navigating the crossroads between personal and professional life in rural South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
laurenzi_balancing_2020.pdf
Size:
521.01 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download article
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Research Articles (Institute for Life Course Health Research)