Parents' and children's emotions spanning the HIV disclosure process in Kenya
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Epidemiology, Global Health, Health Policy, HIV, Public Health
- Keywords
- HIV disclosure, HIV disclosure emotions, Parental HIV status disclosure, Child HIV status disclosure, Kenya, Sub Saharan Africa, Resource poor nation
- Copyright
- © 2015 Gachanja et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ PrePrints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2015. Parents' and children's emotions spanning the HIV disclosure process in Kenya. PeerJ PrePrints 3:e946v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.946v1
Abstract
Background: HIV disclosure from parent to child is challenging. While disclosure is expected to be emotional for parents and children, the total disclosure experience has not been described. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their children in Kenya during the disclosure process. Methods: Phenomenological qualitative data were collected using in-depth semistructured interviews. Thirty four participants consisting of HIV-positive parents, children (infected and uninfected), and healthcare professionals (HCPs) were enrolled. Data analysis was performed using NVivo 8 and the Van Kaam method. Results: Pre-disclosure, parents were plagued with fear/worry of stigma, judgment, rejection, blame; and the reaction/consequences of disclosure on their children. Guilt and shame for bringing the illness into the home abounded. Children sensed, wondered, and worried about secrets within their homes. During disclosure, parents experienced catharsis, guilt, confusion, and panic when children reacted negatively. Children experienced shock, disbelief, anger, sadness, worry, depression, confusion, and catharsis from finally knowing what was wrong. Post-disclosure parents alternated between relief, guilt, and depression as their children’s behavior changed due to disclosure. Children experienced unhappiness, depression, hopelessness, self-hate, and withdrawal. Recovery time varied lasting from a few hours to four months later; some children ultimately felt relief and self-acceptance. However, stress exposure caused disclosure emotions to reappear. Conclusion: HIV disclosure process is accompanied by alternating negative and positive feelings for both parents and children. To ease the process, HCPs should provide support services such as disclosure practice sessions/training, counseling, peer support groups, and stress management.
Author Comment
This roundtable presentation was made at the 2014 American Public Health Association Meeting (APHA) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The original accepted abstract is located at https://apha.confex.com/apha/142am/webprogram/Paper296655.html.