A Study to Develop a Disclosure to Children Intervention for HIV-Infected Women

One of the most difficult issues for an HIV-infected woman is the task of telling her children that she has HIV. Interventions are needed to support women in the distressing task of disclosing the diagnosis to their children and to give them directions based on the experiences of others. The purpose of this study was to develop an intervention to help and support women in disclosing a diagnosis of HIV to their children. Information was gathered from four sources: (a) women with HIV, some of whom had disclosed to their children and others who had not; (b) nurses, case managers, and counselors in HIV care; (c) the body of literature on knowledge and best practices related to disclosure of sensitive information to others, especially children; and (d) an expert in the psychology of mothering. The outcome of the project was an intervention, part of which was a printed brochure, to help HIV-infected women in the disclosure process.

Key words: disclosure of HIV status, disclosure of sensitive information, HIV, HIV-infected mothers, mother-child relationships