Family quality of life in families affected by HIV: the perspective of HIV-positive mothers

Abstract

The HIV infection of a family member can impact family quality of life (FQoL). The objectives of this study are to (1) describe patterns of FQoL among mothers living with HIV (MLHIV) and (2) identify key factors associated with FQoL in families affected by HIV. Recruitment took place in HIV-specialized clinics and community organizations. A 100 MLHIV and 67 of their children participated in this study. Mothers were on average 40.8 years old and reported having an average of two dependent children at home (M = 2.1, SD = 1.0). Participating children were 16.2 years old, on average. Half of the children were boys (50.8%). More than half were aware of their mother's positive HIV status (68.2%) and 19.7% were diagnosed with HIV. All HIV-positive children were aware of their status. A latent profile analysis was performed on the five continuous indicators of FQoL, and three main profiles of self-reported FQoL among MLHIV were established: high FQoL (33%), moderate FQoL (58%), and low FQoL (9%). Among the mothers' characteristics, education, physical functioning, social support, and resilience increased FQoL, while anxiety and irritability decreased FQoL. Among the children's characteristics, resilience followed the FQoL profile. A trend was observed toward children's greater awareness of the mother's HIV status in high and low FQoL profiles. Additionally, irritability tended to be higher within the lower FQoL profile. FQoL profiles can be used to identify families needing special care, particularly for family interventions with both parents and children. Other relevant indicators must be studied (e.g., closeness and support between family members, availability and accessibility of care, family structure, father-child relationships, and medical condition of the mother) and longitudinal research conducted to estimate the direction of causality between FQoL profile and individual family member characteristics.

Maternal and child psychological outcomes of HIV disclosure to young children in rural South Africa

“…HIV-infected mothers, living in low-resource settings with a limited access to support and services [50], face multiple challenges coping with the stress of caring for their children and living with a chronic, potentially life-threatening disease [51]. In this research, mothers who were unemployed with no access to regular income, not in a partnership, and not on ART had higher mental health risks at baseline.…”

Missed opportunities for HIV prevention: Results of a qualitative study on mother-daughter communication

“…African American mothers living with HIV/AIDS tend to represent a vulnerable group that often experience daily hardships that impact their ability to make positive choices due to structural barriers (Mahadevan et al, 2014). Some African American HIV positive mothers live in under resourced inner city neighborhoods and lack significant financial, familial, and emotional support (Blais et al, 2014; Brackis-Cott, Mellins, Dolezal, & Spiegel, 2007). Additionally, they are exposed to racism, classism, and sexism which can contribute to chronic stressful conditions for HIV positive mothers (Blais et al, 2014; Brackis-Cott, Mellins, Dolezal, & Spiegel, 2007)…”

“…In addition, African American mothers living with HIV are often living with comorbidities and co-occurring disorders such as substance abuse, diabetes and heart disease, thus affecting their quality of life and ability to actively care for their children (Mahadevan et al, 2014). Families affected by a chronic illness such as HIV/AIDS tend to have more communication difficulties, poor social support, and lower family cohesion (Blais et al, 2014; Brackis-Cott, Mellins, Dolezal, & Spiegel, 2007). In addition, children of HIV positive mothers are similarly exposed to the risk factors that placed their mother at risk, at younger ages (Cederbaum, Hutchinson, Duan, & Jemmott, 2013).…”