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Parents' disclosure of HIV to their children

Martha B Lee1, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus

  • 1AIDS Institute Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Service University of California, Los Angeles 90024, USA.

AIDS (London, England)
|November 1, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Parents living with HIV disclosed their status more over time, especially to older children. However, disclosure was linked to increased problem behaviors and negative family events for adolescents.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatric Psychology
  • HIV/AIDS Research

Background:

  • Understanding parental disclosure of HIV status is crucial for family well-being.
  • Previous research has explored disclosure patterns but longitudinal impacts on adolescents require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine trends in HIV status disclosure by parents to their children over a 5-year period.
  • To identify factors associated with parental disclosure of HIV status.
  • To assess the impact of parental HIV status disclosure on adolescent children.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal cohort study involving 301 parents living with HIV and 395 of their adolescent children.
  • Data collected over 5 years, assessing disclosure trends, associated factors, and impacts on adolescent children.
  • Analysis included examining disclosure rates, influencing factors (e.g., child age, parental health, social support), and adolescent outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Disclosure rates increased over time, with higher rates for older versus younger children (75% vs. 40%).
  • Mothers disclosed earlier and more often than fathers, and more frequently to daughters than sons.
  • Disclosure was associated with parental poor health, stressful life events, larger social networks, and perceived child stigma; it correlated with increased adolescent problem behaviors and negative family events.

Conclusions:

  • Parental HIV status disclosure patterns are comparable to those for other chronic illnesses.
  • Clinical support is essential for guiding parents in making individualized disclosure decisions.
  • The study highlights potential adverse outcomes for adolescents following disclosure, necessitating careful management.
Abstract

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