Talking to children about their HIV status: a review of available resources, tools, and models for improving and promoting pediatric disclosure

ABSTRACT

As children living with HIV (CLHIV) grow into adolescence and adulthood, caregivers and healthcare providers are faced with the sensitive challenge of when to disclose to a CLHIV his or her HIV status. Despite WHO recommendations for CLHIV to know their status, in countries most affected by HIV, effective resources are often limited, and national guidance on disclosure is often lacking. To address the need for effective resources, gray and scientific literature was searched to identify existing tools and resources that can aid in the disclosure process. From peer-reviewed literature, seven disclosure models from six different countries were identified. From the gray literature, 23 resources were identified including children’s books (15), job aides to assist healthcare providers (5), and videos (3). While these existing resources can be tailored to reflect local norms and used to aid in the disclosure process, careful consideration must be taken in order to avoid damaging disclosure practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Children
• adolescents
• caregivers
• HIV
• disclosure

Acknowledgements

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Agency for International Development or those of the US government.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.