Social Support and Parental HIV Disclosure to Children

Susan Letteney
Department of Social Sciences-Room 3A11
York College of The City University of New York
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard
Jamaica NY 11451
USA
Phone: 718-262-2614
FAX: 718-262-3790
Email: letteney@york.cuny.edu

Purpose: HIV-infected parents are living longer and must plan for the continuous care of children.  Disclosure of parental HIV status to children is a component of sound planning for children, and social support may play a role.  The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of social support to parental HIV disclosure.

Methods: This poster will report findings from a multivariate, correlational study.  The sample of convenience was HIV positive parents (N=101) of school aged children, enrolled in an urban AIDS-designated treatment center.  Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, including the MOS Social Support Scale (Rand, 1993), a Social Support Measure and Parent Disclosure Inventory (both developed by the investigator).

Results: Univariate analysis revealed that the number of close friends and relatives reported by parents was significantly related to social support (p=0.03).  Most participants (39%) reported their own mothers as the "most important person providing support".  Bivariate analysis found that fathers were significantly older (p=0.00) and more likely to be injection drug users than mothers, who were more likely to be infected through heterosexual contact (p=0.00).  Mothers and fathers differed significantly on disclosure to children (p=0.05) and how social support affected their disclosure decisions (p=0.01).  Fathers were more likely than mothers to report their own mothers as the "most important person providing support" (p=0.03).

Implications: The study indicates that social support is significantly related to: 1) number of people in parents' social network, 2) decisions about parental disclosure to children.  HIV positive mothers and fathers may differ in their disclosure to children, the role of social support in disclosure, and the importance of their own mothers in providing support.  Social support and gender of HIV positive parents should be assessed in relation to disclosure decisions. The findings provide social workers with empirical knowledge to be used for evidence-based practice.