Perceptions and Experiences about Self-Disclosure of HIV Status among Adolescents with Perinatal Acquired HIV in Poor-Resourced Communities in South Africa.
Background. There is limited research on the disclosure experiences of adolescents with perinatal acquired HIV (PAH). The study explores how adolescents with PAH experience living with HIV and examined their perceptions and experiences regarding disclosure and onward self-disclosure to friends and sexual partners. Methods. Thematic analysis was used to analyze in-depth interviews conducted with 37 adolescents. Findings. Adolescents received disclosure about their status at mean age of 12 years. They perceived disclosure as necessary and appreciated the truthful communication they received. Adolescents have learned to accept and live with HIV, and they desired to be healthy and normal like other people. After receiving disclosure, they found their treatment meaningful, and they adhered to medication. However, they also expressed a strong message that their HIV status was truly their secret and that self-disclosure to others will take the feeling of being normal away from them because they will be treated differently. Conclusion. Adolescents maintained secrecy in order to be accepted by their peers but also to protect themselves from stigma and isolation. Given that adolescents want to be informed of their HIV status but desire controlling self-disclosure of their HIV status, these should form the basis for development of disclosure interventions.
School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Heath, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.
Sphiwe
0000-0002-3735-1248
S
Madiba
School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.
Mathildah
M
Mokgatle
PeerJ. 2014 Jul 10;2:e486
25071999
AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2008 Aug;22(8):637-47
18627275
J Int AIDS Soc. 2014 Mar 10;17:18866
24629845
PLoS One. 2013 Jul 23;8(7):e70254
23894625
J Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2015;27(1):11-23
25531823
J Int AIDS Soc. 2010 Nov 25;13:46
21108804
Afr J AIDS Res. 2012 Oct;11(3):261-71
25860100
J Adolesc Health. 2009 Apr;44(4):356-62
19306794
Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2011;32(6):355-8
21692573
PLoS One. 2014 Jan 27;9(1):e87322
24475271
AIDS. 2014 Jul;28 Suppl 3:S343-6
24991907
Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2013 Jan;18(1):44-60
22287554
AIDS Care. 2008 Aug;20(7):842-52
18608054
J Behav Med. 2014 Apr;37(2):276-88
23277232
AIDS Care. 2011 Jun;23(6):694-9
21390880
J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2015 Jul-Aug;26(4):472-84
26066697
AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2010 Apr;24(4):247-56
20397899
AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2014 Oct;28(10):555-64
25216105
AIDS Care. 2009 Jun;21(6):725-31
19806488
J Int Assoc Physicians AIDS Care (Chic). 2009 Jul-Aug;8(4):221-8
19596866
Health Place. 2012 Mar;18(2):123-31
21975285
PeerJ. 2015 Apr 14;3:e893
25893147
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2013 Jun;29(6):892-900
23373540
Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2010 Dec;8(12):1403-16
21133665
AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2010 Oct;24(10):639-49
20836704
J Int AIDS Soc. 2015 Jan 13;18:19358
25591915