To tell or not to tell: disclosure to children and family amongst Thai women living with HIV/AIDS: Table 1:

Abstract

HIV disclosure is a complex phenomenon. The choice of disclosure or non-disclosure is a reflection of how each HIV-positive person experiences and deals with HIV/AIDS in their everyday life. In this study, we qualitatively explore the experiences of disclosing HIV status to family members and children among HIV-positive women living in Thailand. Due to fear of stigma and discrimination, the women decided to tell only a few people, usually their significant others including parents and children. Although most women received good support from their family members, some were rejected and discriminated against by their family members. This stems from lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS among family members. Women found disclosure to their children a difficult decision to make. Only some women told their children about their HIV status. They wished to protect their children from emotional burden. This protection also appeared in their attempts to prepare their children for dealing with HIV/AIDS. Support from family members played a major role in the lives of HIV-positive women. Although disclosure has been promoted as a means of ending stigma and discrimination, our data suggested that disclosure may not be positive for some women. This has implications for health promotion in HIV health care. Healthcare providers need to appreciate the ramifications of promoting disclosure to HIV-positive women who are mothers.

Issues around childhood disclosure of HIV status – findings from a qualitative study in West Bengal, India

“…Capturing the perceptions of both parent and non-parent caregivers was a major strength of this study, as prior studies in Asia were often restricted to parents only (Chew et al 2012;Liamputtong & Haritavorn 2014;Qiao et al 2014). The caregiver's own health-related conditions would affect his or her perceptions about the child's quality of life.…”

“…As reported in studies from Asian countries (Chew et al . ; Liamputtong & Haritavorn ), other positive goals of disclosure included willingness to protect healthy individuals from getting infected and avoiding damage to caregiver–child relationships owing to late disclosure. Similar to a study in China (Qiao et al .…”

“…Capturing the perceptions of both parent and non‐parent caregivers was a major strength of this study, as prior studies in Asia were often restricted to parents only (Chew et al . ; Liamputtong & Haritavorn ; Qiao et al . ).…”

“…However, the association between children's awareness about their own disease status and medication adherence has been reported to be inconsistent (Simoni et al 2007). As reported in studies from Asian countries (Chew et al 2012;Liamputtong & Haritavorn 2014), other positive goals of disclosure included willingness to protect healthy individuals from getting infected and avoiding damage to caregiver-child relationships owing to late disclosure. Similar to a study in China (Qiao et al 2014), caregivers who anticipated dying in the near future felt that it was their responsibility to disclose to their child to better prepare him or her for the future.…”

The social context of tuberculosis treatment in urban risk groups in the United Kingdom: a qualitative interview study

“…Moreover the adverse effects of stigma may have a greater impact on women because of their (gendered) social location. 22 Some participants reported that the disease was used as an excuse to shun or evict a person because of dislike (ID03) rather than stigma. Others noted social distancing (ID01), sympathy (ID05), indifference (ID02), and acceptance where family were able to witness the beneficial effects of treatment (ID12).…”