Interpersonal support among 8-year-old girls who have lost their parents or siblings to AIDS

It has been estimated that 18,500 children and adolescents have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. A review of the literature reveals very little about the psychosocial needs of these children. This report discusses themes in group therapy gleaned from transcripts of 16 tape-recorded sessions. To supplement the content analysis of the sessions, notes were made after each session, documenting nonverbal communication among the girls. The findings showed that 8-year-old girls were extremely sensitive to one another's needs and able to offer interpersonal support in a group setting.