Clinic-Based Pediatric Disclosure Intervention Trial Improves Pediatric HIV Status Disclosure in Ghana

Abstract

Disclosing HIV status to HIV-positive children is a major challenge facing families and health care providers. Despite recommendations for disclosure, rates remain low. We tested whether a pediatric HIV disclosure intervention delivered as an integral component of routine HIV health care in Ghana would improve disclosure to children. Methods: Dyads of HIV-infected children aged 7–18 years and their caregivers were enrolled from 2 HIV clinics in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. The sites were randomly assigned to one of the 2 intervention arms to avoid treatment contamination between intervention and control participants. Trained interventionist used theoryguided therapeutic communication and personalized interaction to promote disclosure. Disclosure outcomes were measured at 12-week intervals. All analyses were completed using a modified intention-totreat approach.