Maintaining Effective Psychosocial Treatment Strategies for Children With HIV/AIDS in Africa: An Ongoing Challenge

Abstract

In this article we provide a brief summary of some of the challenges that are faced by communities in developing countries with high numbers of HIV/AIDS victims. Although an increasing number of those countries’ governments now provide retroviral medication to their infected citizens few have been able to tackle the psychological consequences of this disease. As seen in the case of the Sparrow Ministries an outstanding institution in terms of resources and professional competence for this part of the world a significant number of children now face the consequences of long-term institutionalization with their associated high incidence of depression post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) attachment problems and externalizing disorders.8 In addition the stigma against AIDS victims among the population remains extremely high compromising the reintegration of medically treated individuals into their communities from Sparrow and other treatment facilities and raising the threat of victims becoming victimizers. What seems clear is that HIV/AIDS is a chronic disorder that affects both the medical and psychological health of its victims and their families often for life. Although comprehensive medical treatment is essential for survival affected individuals and here especially children need support for their overall emotional cognitive and academic development from the day of their diagnosis onward to deal with the condition’s profound psychosocial consequences. In the absence of capable biological or adoptive families group rearing arrangements must be structured to facilitate the development of solid attachments between the children and their caretakers. The additional present day costs of such arrangements may be substantial but can possibly prevent a future multigenerational collapse of significant social structures in the developing world. (authors)