Psychosocial consequences for children experiencing parental loss due to HIV/AIDS in central China.
Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 47 children (ages 8-17 years) experiencing the loss of one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS in two rural counties of central China. Findings in this study reveal that the families of the children orphaned by AIDS had experienced financial burdens because of treatment costs for sick parents and loss of labor in the household. The majority of the participants reported some level of stigmatization because of their parents' HIV status. The participants described feelings of sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, loneliness, low self-esteem, social withdrawal, and sleep problems. Implications for intervention programs include the need for psychological support and special counseling services, more public education with accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS to decrease stigma and discrimination, and financial programs to decrease economic and caregiving burdens for these children.
Zhao
Guoxiang
G
Department of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Li
Xiaoming
X
Kaljee
Linda
L
Zhang
Liying
L
Fang
Xiaoyi
X
Zhao
Junfeng
J
Lin
Danhua
D
Lin
Xiuyun
X
Stanton
Bonita
B
D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D035502:Trust