Maintaining Love and Hope: Caregiving for Thai Children With HIV Infection

In this grounded theory study, the author explored how primary caregivers dealt with problems in caring for children with HIV infection in Thailand. A total of 27 family caregivers of HIV-infected children participated in open-ended interviews. Maintaining love and hope represented a condition for the continuing process of caregiving. Caregivers had to deal with the stigma of AIDS while providing care for children with HIV. They had high anxiety and fear of loss, bore much burden of care, and faced many difficulties because of limited resources. The results suggest that psychosocial care and informational support are needed to enable these caregivers to provide better care for children with HIV infection.

Key words: caregiving for Thai children, grounded theory study, HIV infection