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Psychosocial Well-being of Children in HIV/AIDS-Affected Families in Southwest China: A Qualitative Study

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Abstract

We investigated the psychosocial well-being of children in HIV/AIDS-affected families in rural China from the child’s and caregiver’s perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among children living in HIV/AIDS-affected families (n = 16), their caregivers (n = 16) and key community informants (n = 5). Our findings showed that all of the children relied heavily on caregivers and peers to gain psychological support. Children’s psychosocial problems included fear, anxiety, grief, and loss of self-esteem and confidence. Stigma towards children existed, including isolation, ignorance and rejection. Our study illustrates that HIV/AIDS has impacted negatively on the psychosocial well-being of children. These findings can be used as preliminary data supporting more researches to profoundly explore the psychosocial impact of HIV/AIDS on children and appropriately indicate the need for interventions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by NIH grant number 1U2R TW006918-01, China Multidisciplinary AIDS Prevention Training Program (China ICOHRTA, with Principal Investigator Zunyou Wu). We are grateful to all the children and their caregivers who so willingly participated in this study, as well as our collaborators in local Longchuan County CDC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre for Women and Children’s Health, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Building A No. 13 Dongtucheng Rd., Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100013, China

    Tao Xu

  2. National Centre for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China

    Zhihua Yan, Changhe Wang, Keming Rou & Zunyou Wu

  3. Division of AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Yunnan Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China

    Song Duan

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  1. Tao Xu
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  2. Zhihua Yan
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  3. Song Duan
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  4. Changhe Wang
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  5. Keming Rou
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  6. Zunyou Wu
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Correspondence to Tao Xu.

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Xu, T., Yan, Z., Duan, S. et al. Psychosocial Well-being of Children in HIV/AIDS-Affected Families in Southwest China: A Qualitative Study. J Child Fam Stud 18, 21–30 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9202-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-008-9202-5

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