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Mental health factors in healthy children and adolescents affected by a parent's Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) diagnosis
To date, over 612,000 persons have been infected with the HIV virus, and approximately half of those infected have died (CDC,1997). While much of the current information available pertains to those infected with HIV/AIDS, little is known about the affected children in HIV/AIDS families. The purpose of the present study was to examine mental health variables and behaviors, including depression, anxiety, somatization, and external problem behaviors in AIDS-affected children in comparison to children who do not have a fan-family member infected with HIV/AIDS. The sample was comprised of twenty-seven families which altogether consisted of fifty children included in the present study. The Parent Rating Scale (PRS) and Self-Report of Personality (SRP) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) were used to examine the mental health factors for AIDS-affected children and non-AIDS affected children. Data were analyzed via t-test comparisons of means and Chi-square analyses. A supplementary qualitative analysis was also conducted. Results indicate that based on parent perception ratings, the sample of AIDS-affected children had statistically significant higher levels of depression, anxiety, and external problem behaviors when compared to national norms of the BASC. However, no difference was found between AIDS-affected children and non-AIDS-affected children in levels of somatization. Furthermore, results of the present study indicate that a significant difference exists in the percentage of AIDS-affected versus non-AIDS-affected children who exhibit statistically significant levels of depression, anxiety, and somatization. Results of the present study indicate that based on child perception ratings, no difference exists between AIDS-affected-children and non-AIDSaffected children in levels of depression, anxiety and somatization. A supplementary qualitative analysis derived from interviews with the primary caregiver of the children revealed seven emergent themes for the present sample. Each theme is discussed in the present dissertation. In addition, the implications for counseling AIDS-affected families and the implications for public policy are addressed.
Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc.
Includes bibliographical references: pages 87-97.