RESUMEN
In this article, we examine skipped-generation caregivers who foster their grandchildren orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. We investigated the challenges facing this population and the ways in which grandparents handled their trials on behalf of their families. Specifically, how did caregivers make sense of their roles, and how did these meanings inform their coping strategies? We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 21 older caregivers and 7 key informants and selected 5 caregivers from the sample to complete participant observations. The participants understood coping as problem-focused coping; for example, by considering a set of caregiving-related activities that included providing childcare, making money, borrowing money, cooking, and doing other daily chores. The voices of older caregivers must be a vital component to influence and inform service organizations and HIV sectors working in Vietnam. Based on a deeper understanding of the caregiving process, we outline implications for service development within the area of HIV caregiving.
RESUMEN
This article brings together two American qualitative researchers and two Vietnamese interpreters who investigated the social impacts of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam from the standpoint of the local community. As cultural outsiders with limited Vietnamese language skills, the researchers relied on the insights and expertise of the interpreters to the extent that interpreter roles expanded to become co-researchers. We explain the guidelines we used to work in partnership in the field. We then describe how the relationship between researcher and interpreter developed into co-researching, and how we utilized this relationship to respond to challenges in the work. Despite an increasing number of international qualitative studies, little research has focused on the nuances of a working partnership between researcher and interpreter, and few studies include interpreters as co-researchers. This article contributes to an understanding of how the researcher-interpreter relationship impacts the voice of the participant and, ultimately, the final outcomes of the project.