The idea that adolescence, an important developmental stage in human life is embodied in emotions is not new. However, the association between adolescence, unplanned motherhood, and HIV infection, which often lead to unanticipated transitions, may influence a rethink toward understanding the emotional and mental states of adolescent mothers. Using a sociological lens, this article draws on the concept of “emotionality” and the importance of paying attention to “emotions” in offering analysis of the new reality, which HIV-positive adolescent mothers find themselves in South Africa. Specifically, this article shifts the social research focus from behavioral (e.g. sexual behaviors) research to exploring HIV-positive adolescent mothers’ feelings, thus paying heed to a subjective emotional landscape. Through an inductive thematic analysis, the emotional accounts and unifying themes extracted from 13 (10 HIV-positive adolescent mothers and three key informants) semistructured in-depth interviews present an understanding of the various needs of an emerging youthful generation living with HIV, rather than a narrow, conventional focus on costs, risks, and impending mortality.

青春期是人类生活中一个重要的发展阶段，它体现在情感上的想法并不新鲜。但是，青春期，计划外的母亲和HIV感染之间的关联通常会导致意料之外的转变，这可能会影响对理解青春期母亲的情绪和心理状态的重新思考。本文从社会学的角度出发，借鉴了“情感”的概念以及在分析新现实时重视“情感”的重要性，艾滋病毒阳性的青春期母亲在南非发现了这一现实。具体而言，本文将社会研究的重点从行为（例如性行为）研究转移到探索HIV阳性的青春期母亲的感受上，从而注意了主观的情绪态势。通过归纳主题分析，