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Title: | HIV knowledge, stigma, and illness beliefs among pediatric caregivers in Ghana who have not disclosed their child's HIV status |
Authors: | Paintsil, Elijah Renner, Lorna Antwi, Sampson Dame, Joycelyn Enimil, Anthony Ofori-Atta, Angela Alhassan, Amina Ofori, Irene Pokuaa Cong, Xiangyu Kyriakides, Tassos Reynolds, Nancy R. |
Keywords: | pediatric HIV disclosure knowledge stigma illness perception bioecological systems theory |
Issue Date: | 2019 |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Abstract: | The majority of HIV-infected children in sub-Saharan Africa have not been informed of their HIV status. Caregivers are
reluctant to disclose HIV status to their children because of concern about the child’s ability to understand, parental
sense of guilt, and fear of social rejection and isolation. We hypothesized that the low prevalence of pediatric HIV
disclosure in Ghana is due to lack of accurate HIV information and high HIV stigma among caregivers. This is a
preliminary analysis of baseline data of an HIV pediatric disclosure intervention study in Ghana (“Sankofa”). “Sankofa”
– is a two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial comparing disclosure intervention plus usual care (intervention arm)
vs usual care (control arm) at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH; control arm) and Komfo-Anokye Teaching Hospital
(KATH; intervention arm). We enrolled HIV-infected children, ages 7–18 years who do not know their HIV status, and
their caregivers. Baseline data of caregivers included demographic characteristics; Brief HIV Knowledge Questionnaire
(HIV-KQ-18); Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire; and HIV Stigma Scale. Simple and multivariable linear regression
analyses were used to assess the relationship between caregiver characteristics and HIV knowledge, stigma, and illness
perception. Two hundred and ninety-eight caregivers were enrolled between January 2013 and July 2014 at the two
study sites; KBTH (n = 167) and KATH (n = 131). The median age of caregivers was 41 years; 80.5% of them were
female and about 60% of caregivers were HIV-positive. Seventy-eight percent of caregivers were self-employed with
low household income. In both unadjusted and adjusted analyses, HIV negative status and lower level of education were
associated with poor scores on HIV-KQ. HIV positive status remained significant for higher level of stigma in the
adjusted analyses. None of the caregiver’s characteristics predicted caregiver’s illness perception. Intensification of HIV
education in schools and targeted community campaigns are needed. |
Description: | This article is published in Taylor & Francis and also available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2015.1007116 |
URI: | 10.1080/09540121.2015.1007116 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/13524 |
Appears in Collections: | College of Agric and Natural Resources
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