Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5870204 | Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care | 2015 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
The rate of disclosure of HIV status to infected children and adolescents remains low in developing countries. We used a mixed-method approach to determine the perceptions of caregivers and health care providers about the benefits of HIV status disclosure to infected children and adolescents and to assess the support needed by caregivers during disclosure. We recruited a convenience sample of 118 caregivers of HIV-infected children and adolescents for the quantitative component of the study and completed in-depth qualitative interviews with 10 purposefully sampled key informants, including health care providers and volunteer workers. The main benefits of disclosure included improved medication adherence and healthier, more responsible adolescent sexual behavior. The main supports required by caregivers during disclosure included biomedical information, emotional and psychological support, and practical guidelines regarding disclosure. We confirmed the importance of disclosure to HIV-infected children and adolescents and the need to develop culturally specific disclosure guidelines.
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Authors
Eric MBChB, BSc, Paul MSc, BA, Emmanuel MSc, BSc, Rose Odotei MSc, BEd, Kofi Akohene PhD, MSc, BSc,