Behavioral Adaptation to Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Seropositive Status in Children and Adolescents With Hemophilia

Abstract

To examine the behavioral adaptation to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive status, as defined by parental report, in children and adolescents with hemophilia. A clinical descriptive study of two groups of patients as part of a longitudinal design. A university-based comprehensive hemophilia center and department of neurology acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia center. Forty-six male children with hemophilia divided into two groups based on HIV-seropositive (n = 18) or -seronegative (n = 28) status. None of the patients were symptomatic for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. All pediatric patients with documented factor VII or IX deficiency aged between 4 and 19 years at study onset and their families were eligible to participate. All subjects were recruited without regard to human immunodeficiency virus status. None. Profiles of behavioral adjustment were obtained from parents' reports on the Child Behavior Checklist for the HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative groups. The two groups did not differ on any of the major indexes of the Child Behavior Checklist, even after adjusting for maternal education and severity of hemophilia. There also was no difference between the groups when individual cases were examined for the number of child behavior checklist scales falling within a clinically significant range. The current findings fail to confirm any clear evidence of behavioral problems in an asymptomatic group of HIV-seropositive children and adolescents with hemophilia.