Personal and Network-Related Factors Associated to Diagnosis Disclosure Reactions for Children and Adolescents Living with HIV

• Published in: AIDS and behavior Vol. 25; no. 2; pp. 562 - 570
• Main Authors: Barreto Filho, Luís Fernando, Hofer, Cristina Barroso, Machado, Elizabeth Stankiewicz, de Abreu, Thalita Fernandes, Frota, Ana Cristina Cisne, de Oliveira, Ricardo Hugo, Robineau, Olivier, Cardoso, Gisela Cordeiro Pereira, Périssé, André Reynaldo Santos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-02-2021; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Series: AIDS and Behavior
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Brazil; Child; Children; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Disclosure; Health Psychology; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Infectious Diseases; Life Sciences; Medical diagnosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Public Health; Risk behavior; Risk taking; Self Disclosure; Social interactions; Social organization; Social support; Support networks; Teenagers; Treatment compliance; Truth Disclosure; Young Adult; Young adults; Youth; Brazil; Diagnostic disclosure; Adolescentes / jóvenes; HIV; VIH; Family/friends; Amigos de la familia; Adolescents/young people; Apoyo social; Social support; Divulgación de diagnóstico; Family; Adolescents; young people; friends
• ISSN: 1090-7165; 1573-3254
• DOI: 10.1007/s10461-020-03018-6

The process of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis disclosure for vertically infected young people living with HIV has proven decisive for acceptance/adherence to treatment. Herein, we present a cross-sectional study aiming at evaluating how individual and network related variables are associated with reactions to HIV disclosure among them. We used the egocentric approach with a structured questionnaire applied to individuals aged 15–25 years in an HIV referral center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Outcome variable referred to adoption or not of risk behavior after diagnostic disclosure, was classified as “good”/“bad” reactions. Results showed that, of the 80 study participants, 25% reported a “bad reaction” to diagnostic disclosure, an outcome that was more common for patients with at least one friend in their social support network (OR 4.81; 95%CI [1.05–22.07]). In conclusion, a “bad reaction” to HIV serological disclosure may be associated with inadequate structure of the individual’s social support network.