Depression in caregivers of status-naïve pediatric HIV patients participating in a status disclosure study in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: preliminary report.
A pilot study is underway to assess safety and acceptability of an intervention to disclose their HIV infection status to status-naïve pediatric antiretroviral therapy patients in Hispaniola [the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR)]. Of 22 Haiti and 47 DR caregivers recruited to date, 68.2% Haiti and 34.0% DR caregivers had clinically significant depressive symptomatology at the time of enrollment (p = 0.008). Depressive symptom prevalence was higher in Haiti caregivers who were female (81.3% vs. 0 in males; p = 0.02) and in DR caregivers who were patients' mothers (50.0%) or grandmothers (66.7%; 56.0% combined) than others (9.1%), (p < 0.001). Internalized stigma was more commonly reported by Haiti (85.7%) than DR (53.2%; p = 0.01) caregivers; 56.4% of Haiti and DR caregivers reporting internalized stigma vs. 26.1% of caregivers denying it had depressive symptoms (p = 0.02). Depression is common in Hispaniola caregivers possibly affecting disclosure timing. Study participation presents opportunities for addressing caregiver depression.
Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Miami, FL, USA 33199 cbecksag@fiu.edu.
Consuelo M
CM
Beck-Sagué
Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Miami, FL, USA 33199.
Jessy G
JG
Dévieux
Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Miami, FL, USA 33199.
María Claudia
MC
Pinzón-Iregui
Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (DR).
Rosa
R
Abreu-Pérez
Clínica de Familia La Romana, Department of Research, La Romana, DR.
Leonel
L
Lerebours-Nadal
Groupe Haïtien d'Etude du Sarcoma de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes (GHESKIO), Department of Adolescent Medicine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Stephanie
S
Gaston
Department of Epidemiology Voluntary Faculty, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA 33136.
Andrew G
AG
Dean
Clínica de Familia La Romana, Department of Research, La Romana, DR.
Mina
M
Halpern
Groupe Haïtien d'Etude du Sarcoma de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes (GHESKIO), Department of Adolescent Medicine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Vanessa
V
Rouzier
Groupe Haïtien d'Etude du Sarcoma de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes (GHESKIO), Department of Adolescent Medicine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Rachel
R
Bertrand
Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Miami, FL, USA 33199.
Rhonda
R
Rosenberg
Groupe Haïtien d'Etude du Sarcoma de Kaposi et des Infections Opportunistes (GHESKIO), Department of Adolescent Medicine, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Cornell University School of Medicine, Cornell Medical College Center for Global Health, New York, NY, USA 10065.
Jean William
JW
Pape
Clínica de Familia La Romana, Department of Research, La Romana, DR Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA 10032.
Stephen W
SW
Nicholas
Department of Pediatrics Voluntary Faculty, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931-1839.
Ileana
I
Blasini
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D004293:Dominican Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006205:Haiti / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057545:Social Stigma; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014342:Truth Disclosure
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
HIV; antiretroviral therapy; caregivers; depression; disclosure; mother-to-child transmission