A comparison between AIDS-orphaned children and other-orphaned children on measures of attachment security and disturbance /
The AIDS epidemic in the United States has had unprecedented impact on children. As transmission rates from mother to unborn child decline, the number of children left orphaned as a result of AIDS increases. The unique psychological impact of AIDS-related loss on young children has been discussed i...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
2000.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=728408501&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The AIDS epidemic in the United States has had unprecedented impact on children. As transmission rates from mother to unborn child decline, the number of children left orphaned as a result of AIDS increases. The unique psychological impact of AIDS-related loss on young children has been discussed in recent literature, although few empirical studies have investigated this phenomenon. Using attachment theory as a theoretical framework, the purpose of the present study was to examine the possible attachment disruption and disturbance faced by AIDS-orphaned children. The sample was comprised of 16 children, under the age of 12, whose mother died as a result of AIDS, and 18 children whose mother died due to other causes. The Attachment Q-Set (AQS) was used to measure each child's attachment security. Additionally, select scales from the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-PRS) were used to measure subjects' anxiety, depression, and conduct. Demographic variables were analyzed in order to understand their impact on the dependent measures. Data was analyzed via Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and correlations. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between AIDS-orphaned children and Other-orphaned children with regard to attachment security. Other-orphaned children, however, did have statistically significant higher scores on measures of anxiety, depression, and conduct. Overall, however, neither group's mean scores were generally within the clinical range. Analyses of select demographic characteristics indicated that neither gender nor socio-economic status had an effect on subjects' scores on the dependent measures. Children who were themselves HIV-positive, however, were rated by their caregiver as less depressed than their HIV-negative counterparts. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between both the subjects' current age and their age at the time of maternal death, and their scores on select dependent variables. Results of the present study seem to indicate that when AIDS-orphaned children receive the social services they require, as did many of the subjects in the present study, they do not experience attachment disturbance, or subsequent behavior problems. This has significant implications for both future research and social services for these deserving children. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 93 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-84). |