African American mothers living with HIV/AIDS : disclosure to an adolescent child, stigma, psychological distress and illness severity

Utilizing pre-existing quantitative and qualitative data from a sample of twenty-seven African American mother/adolescent dyads this study examined the process of maternal HIV disclosure as well as mother/adolescent communication regarding mothers\u27 illness and its relationship to mothers\u27 experience of HIV related stigma, psychological distress, illness severity and mother/adolescent reports of child functioning. Post-study interviews were conducted with forty percent of the mothers (N=10) who participated in the primary study to examine how mothers\u27 perceive the process of maternal HIV disclosure over time. Quantitative results demonstrated moderate to modest correlations between mothers\u27 experience of HIV related stigma, psychological distress, mothers\u27 perceptions of adolescents\u27 problem behaviors and mothers\u27 perceptions of ongoing HIV communication with their adolescents. Qualitative results revealed that the initial disclosure event is an affective and concrete process related to: (a) mothers\u27 experience prior to disclosure; (b) motivation for disclosure; (c) disclosure information; (d) mother\u27s perception of teens\u27 reaction to disclosure, and (e) mothers\u27 experience after disclosure. Post-study results highlight how the process of maternal HIV disclosure evolves overtime, and the persistent nature and influence of HIV related stigma, specifically perceived stigma, in mothers\u27 requests during the initial disclosure event and over time that their diagnosis be kept secret