Abstract
The HIV infection of a family member can impact family quality of life (FQoL). The objectives of this study are to (1) describe patterns of FQoL among mothers living with HIV (MLHIV) and (2) identify key factors associated with FQoL in families affected by HIV. Recruitment took place in HIV-specialized clinics and community organizations. A 100 MLHIV and 67 of their children participated in this study. Mothers were on average 40.8 years old and reported having an average of two dependent children at home (M = 2.1, SD = 1.0). Participating children were 16.2 years old, on average. Half of the children were boys (50.8%). More than half were aware of their mother's positive HIV status (68.2%) and 19.7% were diagnosed with HIV. All HIV-positive children were aware of their status. A latent profile analysis was performed on the five continuous indicators of FQoL, and three main profiles of self-reported FQoL among MLHIV were established: high FQoL (33%), moderate FQoL (58%), and low FQoL (9%). Among the mothers' characteristics, education, physical functioning, social support, and resilience increased FQoL, while anxiety and irritability decreased FQoL. Among the children's characteristics, resilience followed the FQoL profile. A trend was observed toward children's greater awareness of the mother's HIV status in high and low FQoL profiles. Additionally, irritability tended to be higher within the lower FQoL profile. FQoL profiles can be used to identify families needing special care, particularly for family interventions with both parents and children. Other relevant indicators must be studied (e.g., closeness and support between family members, availability and accessibility of care, family structure, father–child relationships, and medical condition of the mother) and longitudinal research conducted to estimate the direction of causality between FQoL profile and individual family member characteristics.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.