Parental HIV/AIDS and psychosocial adjustment among rural Chinese children.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the relationship between parental HIV/AIDS and psychosocial adjustment of children in rural central China.


METHODS
Participants included 296 double AIDS orphans (children who had lost both their parents to AIDS), 459 single orphans (children who had lost one parent to AIDS), 466 vulnerable children who lived with HIV-infected parents, and 404 comparison children who did not experience HIV/AIDS-related illness and death in their families. The measures included depressive symptoms, loneliness, self-esteem, future expectations, hopefulness about the future, and perceived control over the future.


RESULTS
AIDS orphans and vulnerable children consistently demonstrated poorer psychosocial adjustment than comparison children in the same community. The level of psychosocial adjustment was similar between single orphans and double orphans, but differed by care arrangement among double orphans.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings underscore the urgency and importance of culturally and developmentally appropriate intervention efforts targeting psychosocial problems among children affected by AIDS and call for more exploration of risk and resilience factors, both individual and contextual, affecting the psychosocial wellbeing of these children.
Fang
Xiaoyi
X
Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University.
Li
Xiaoming
X
Stanton
Bonita
B
Hong
Yan
Y
Zhang
Liying
L
Zhao
Guoxiang
G
Zhao
Junfeng
J
Lin
Xiuyun
X
Lin
Danhua
D
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation / Q000208:ethnology; D010333:Paternal Deprivation / Q000208:ethnology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011159:Population Surveillance; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012424:Rural Population; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment; D012940:Social Problems / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D012945:Social Values