The power of siblings and caregivers: under-explored types of social support among children affected by HIV and AIDS

Figures & data

Figure 1. Children living with HIV (0–14) and children having lost one or both parents due to AIDS (0–17) in the most affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa by number (WHO, 2015b).

Table 1. Description of children affected by HIV and AIDS.

	Girls (N = 830)	Boys (N = 550)	λ^2 value p value	t-test value p value
Age, M (SD)	14.91 (2.22)	14.70 (1.97)		−.98 p = .33
Household size, M (SD)	6.06 (2.09)	5.95 (1.97)		−1.80 p = .08
Rural, N (%)	438 (52.8%)	271 (49.3%)	1.98 p = .16
Water in home, N (%)	420 (50.6%)	265 (48.2%)	1.72 p = .42
Household brick/concrete, N (%)	527 (63.5%)	372 (67.6%)	3.49 p = .33
Caregiver kin, N (%)	777 (93.6%)	519 (94.4%)	4.9 p = .18
Depressive symptoms, M (SD)	2.65 (2.21)	2.37 (2.40)		−2.20 p = .03*
Anxiety symptoms, M (SD)	5.30 (3.52)	4.59 (3.30)		−3.74 p = .00**
PTS symptoms, M (SD)	15.19 (12.72)	12.39 (11.33)		−4.21** p = .00

*p < .05.

**p < .001.

Table 2. Family: Regression of significant variables related to depression, anxiety, and PTS symptoms.

Variables	Depression				Anxiety				PTS
	B	SE(B)	β	p	B	SE(B)	β	p value	B	SE(B)	β	p value
Sex	.37	.13	.08	.00**	.80	.19	.11	.00**	3.22	.68	.13	.00**
Age	.07	.03	.06	.02*	.07	.04	.05	.10	.07	.16	.01	.67
Rural	−.22	.13	−.05	.09	−.35	.20	−.05	.07	−1.95	.69	−.08	.01*
HH structure	.00	.00	.00	.93	−.01	.00	−.06	.04*	−.01	.01	−.04	.20
Water source	−.29	.14	−.07	.03*	−.19	.21	−.03	.35	.06	.73	.00	.93
HH #	−.07	.03	−.07	.02*	−.04	.05	−.03	.36	−.09	.17	−.02	.58
Caregiver kin	−.00	.00	−.02	.49	.00	.00	−.01	.80	−.02	.01	−.05	.06
Caregiver
Emotional	−.55	.19	−.10	.00**	−1.11	.29	−.13	.00**	−2.66	1.03	−.09	.01*
Instrumental	−.08	.16	−.02	.60	−.44	.24	−.06	.07	−1.06	.84	−.04	.20
Quality	−.75	.23	−.11	.00**	−.45	.35	−.04	.19	−4.80	1.24	−.13	.00**
Sibling
Emotional	.48	.11	.15	.00**	.51	.17	.10	.01*	2.99	.59	.17	.00**
Instrumental	−.44	.10	−.16	.00**	−.55	.15	−.14	.00**	−1.49	.51	−.10	.01*
Quality	−.91	.15	−.18	.00**	−1.34	.24	−.17	.00**	−4.30	.83	−.16	.00**
R^2				.134				.126				.114
F				13.99				12.96				12.73

Note: HH = household.

Sex (0 = girl, 1 = boy); age (continuous); urban = 1 and rural = 2; household (HH) structure (0 = informal non-brick/cement structure and 1 = formal brick/cement structure); water source (0 = outside home water source, 1 = in home water source); household (HH) size (continuous); caregiver non-kin = 0, kin = 1.

*p < .05.

**p < .001.

World Health Organization (WHO). (2015b, November). HIV/AIDS fact sheet No. 360. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs360/en/

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