Children's voices: living with HIV.
OBJECTIVE
To present the findings from a qualitative study that explored living with pediatric HIV from the children's perspectives.


METHODS
The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with seven HIV-positive children in this nested, phenomenological study. The children's parents were enrolled at the same time in a longitudinal qualitative study, which focused on raising a child with HIV. The children, ages 9 to 13, were interviewed once in the context of their homes. The researcher identified themes based on interview transcriptions.


RESULTS
Four major themes emerged: a positive self-perception; varying levels of understanding about HIV; a lack of concern and/or memory about the disclosure process; and an awareness to keep the diagnosis private.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses who counsel children living with HIV should be aware that the self-perception of these children varies and may not be focused on their chronic illness. The interpretation of the disclosure process and the understanding of the diagnosis itself may be impacted by memory and developmental changes over time.
Department of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA. barbara_mawn@uml.edu
Barbara Ellen
BE
Mawn
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D014481:United States