A Couple’s Marital Disharmony and its Psychological Effects on their Children during the HIV Disclosure Process in Kenya

Authors

  • G. Gachanja Walden University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/hcs.2015.166

Keywords:

HIV/AIDS, HIV disclosure, psychological effects of HIV disclosure, parent HIV status disclosure, resource-poor nation, Kenya

Abstract

Limited published data exists on how HIV-positive parents perform disclosure to all their children. A couple’s HIV disclosure experience to all their children is presented. They participated in a larger study conducted to understand the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their children during the disclosure process. Each underwent individualized in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and transferred into NVivo 8 for analysis using the Van Kaam method. Three themes emerged including HIV testing, full disclosure delivery accompanied by marital disharmony, and post-disclosure psychological effects on the family. Marital disharmony and non-involvement of the father caused the mother to fully disclose their illnesses to their four oldest children. All children were affected by disclosure, one had a delayed emotional outburst, and another was still angry and withdrawn years later. HIV-positive parents with poor relationships within the families need intense counseling and support pre, during, and post-disclosure to improve outcomes.

 

Author Biography

G. Gachanja, Walden University

 

Dr. Grace Gachanja is a Global Safety Scientist and has worked for the last eight years in various drug safety surveillance capacities in a large biotech company. She received her PhD in Public Health from Walden University, a MPH from University of Illinois at Springfield, a BS in Health Education and Promotion from Western Illinois University, and a Registered Nurse diploma from the Nairobi Hospital School of Nursing located in Kenya. Dr. Gachanja's research interests are in HIV/AIDS, specifically that which involves HIV disclosure of a parent’s and/or a child’s illness from HIV-positive parents to their HIV-positive and negative children. She continues to advocate for HIV disclosure from parent to child by presenting her research at major conferences and writing scientific manuscripts for journal publication.

Published Manuscripts:

  1. Gachanja, G., Burkholder, G. J., & Ferraro, A. (2014). HIV-positive parents, HIV-positive children, and HIV-negative children’s perspectives on disclosure of a parent’s and child’s illness in Kenya.  PeerJ, e486. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.486. Full text available at https://peerj.com/articles/486/ 
  2. Gachanja, G., Burkholder, G. J., & Ferraro, A. (2014). HIV-positive parents' accounts on disclosure preparation activities in Kenya. JSBHS, 8(1), 18-37. doi: 10.5590/JSBHS.2014.08.1.02. Full text available at http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsbhs/vol8/iss1/1/ 
Manuscripts Under Peer Review:

Gachanja, G. A rapid assessment of HIV post-disclosure experiences of urban school-aged children in Kenya. Preprint available at https://peerj.com/preprints/821/ 

Presentations:

  1. Gachanja, G., Burkholder, G. J., & Ferraro, A. (2012, Oct). Child, parent, and healthcare professionals' perspectives o HIV infection status disclosure to children.  Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA.
  2. Gachanja, G., Burkholder, G. J., & Ferraro, A. (2013, Nov). HIV-positive parents disclosure-related preparation activities in Kenya. Poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Boston, MA.
  3. Gachanja, G., Burkholder, G. J., & Ferraro, A. (2014, Nov). Parents' and children's emotions spanning the HIV disclosure process in Kenya. Abstract accepted for roundtable presentation at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA.

Dissertation

Gachanja, G. (2012). Child, parent, and healthcare professionals' perspectives on HIV infection status disclosure to children. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest. (922421235).

 

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Published

2015-07-22

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2015): Integration, Participation and Identity: Understanding Diversity

Section

Articles

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