Publication Cover
AIDS Care
Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
Volume 20, 2008 - Issue 9
532
Views
84
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
ORIGINAL ARTICLES

To tell or not to tell: South African women's disclosure of HIV status during pregnancy

, , , &
Pages 1138-1145 | Received 23 May 2007, Published online: 29 Sep 2008
 

Abstract

HIV-positive pregnant women often do not disclose their serostatus to their partners, family and friends, creating potential barriers to preventing sexual transmission to partners and mother-to-child transmission through breastfeeding. This research explores recently diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women's reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure of serostatus to various members of their social networks, as well as the consequences of their disclosure. Data were collected through open-ended questions as part of a semi-structured interview with 293 recently diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women recruited from antenatal clinics in two townships in Tshwane, South Africa. A content analysis of responses showed that women weighed fear of abandonment and discrimination against their desire to raise risk awareness and their need for support. Partners most often responded to disclosure with disbelief and shock, whereas parents frequently exhibited emotional distress, but were still supportive, as were other relatives and friends. The women subsequently experienced low levels of adverse consequences after disclosure. The results can assist healthcare providers in understanding the complexity of pregnant women's decisions to disclose to various members of their social networks and emphasize the need for continued counselling and support.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grant R24-HD043558 (awarded to Bridget Jeffery, Serithi project, University of Pretoria under the auspices of the Medical Research Council, Unit for Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies) from the National Institute for Child Health and Development. We acknowledge the contributions of Prof. B. Jeffery, Ms B. Mdlalose (University of Pretoria) and Prof K. Sikkema (Duke University), the Serithi research team and the women who agreed to participate in the study, despite only recently finding out about their HIV status.

Notes

1. The Serithi project is a longitudinal study in which women diagnosed HIV-positive during pregnancy were enrolled and followed until two years after delivery to examine the role of psychological and nutritional factors on disease progression. Quantitative results of the study are published elsewhere.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 464.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.