The Impact of Illness Disclosure and Custody Plans on Adolescents Whose Parents Live with AIDS

Overview

Journal AIDS

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 1997 Jul 15

PMID 9233464

Citations 34

Authors

M J Rotheram-Borus

B H Draimin

H M Reid

D A Murphy

Affiliations

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Abstract

Objectives: To describe the disclosure and custody planning of parents living with AIDS and the impact of these on their adolescents' adjustment.

Methods: An examination of the association of multiple behaviour problems in children and the illness disclosure and custody plans of their parents living with AIDS.

Results: Both mothers (87%) and fathers were significantly more likely to disclose their HIV serostatus to adolescents (73%), compared with younger children (23%); only 44% disclosed their illness to all their children; 11% disclosed to none. Most parents (80%) living with AIDS had discussed their custody plans. However, only 30% initiated legal plans, typically for younger children. Adolescents who were informed of their parents' serostatus engaged in more sexual risk acts, smoked more cigarettes, and reported more severe substance use and greater emotional distress than uninformed adolescents. Legal custody arrangements were not associated with adolescent adjustment at recruitment or follow-up.

Conclusions: A longitudinal analysis of the impact on adolescents of the behaviours of parents living with AIDS is needed.

Citing Articles

The role of internalised HIV stigma in disclosure of maternal HIV serostatus to children perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected: a prospective study in the United States.

Davtyan M, Kacanek D, Lee J, Berman C, Chadwick E, Smith R J Int AIDS Soc. 2023; 26 Suppl 4:e26167.

PMID: 37909234 PMC: 10618870. DOI: 10.1002/jia2.26167.

Addressing Child Custody Concerns of Parents with Life-Limiting Illness.

Nelson C, Stanton K, Bowers S, Park E J Palliat Med. 2019; 23(8):1134-1138.

PMID: 31816258 PMC: 7404829. DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2019.0293.

A Parent-Based Intervention to Prevent HIV Among Adolescent Children of Mothers Living with HIV: The Ms. Now! Program.

Tarantino N, Armistead L Vulnerable Child Youth Stud. 2016; 11(2):160-172.

PMID: 27867413 PMC: 5111806. DOI: 10.1080/17450128.2016.1189021.

Disclosing HIV/ARV exposure to the HIV-exposed uninfected adolescent: is it necessary?.

Jao J, Hazra R, Mellins C, Remien R, Abrams E J Int AIDS Soc. 2016; 19(1):21099.

PMID: 27741954 PMC: 5065689. DOI: 10.7448/IAS.19.1.21099.

The Amagugu Intervention: A Conceptual Framework for Increasing HIV Disclosure and Parent-Led Communication about Health among HIV-Infected Parents with HIV-Uninfected Primary School-Aged Children.

Rochat T, Mitchell J, Stein A, Mkwanazi N, Bland R Front Public Health. 2016; 4:183.

PMID: 27630981 PMC: 5005419. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00183.