Foundation for the Future: Meeting the  Psychosocial Needs of Children Living  With HIV in South Africa and Uganda

Successes in diagnosing and treating pediatric HIV have necessitated care that extends beyond basic medical needs. However, capacity for providing childhood psychosocial support (PSS) remains limited. Programmatic research with young PLHIV, care providers and parents in Uganda and South Africa explored challenges in meeting the psychosocial needs of HIV-positive children. Three areas for childhood PSS were examined: disclosure, stigma, and grief/bereavement. This research identified programming gaps, strategies and good practices in five focal areas: providing immediate postdiagnosis support, stigma reduction, capacity building, addressing grief, and promoting peer support. Recommendations are presented for enhancing PSS for HIV-positive children in resource-limited settings.

Keywords

adolescents,AIDS,care,children,counseling,HIV,psychosocial,testing

Citation

McCleary-Sills, J., Kanesathasan, A., Brakarsh, J., Vujovic, M., Dlamini, K., Namisango, E., ... & Bowsky, S. (2013). Foundation for the future: meeting the psychosocial needs of children living with HIV in South Africa and Uganda. Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 12(1), 49-62.https://doi.org/10.1080/15381501.2012.749818

URI

https://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/4139

Collections

Medical and Health Sciences

Full item page