Disclosure of HIV status is an integral part of HIV prevention and care programmes. It
plays a key role in adherence to antiretroviral therapy. It is a vital component of
voluntary counselling and testing which is the gateway to HIV prevention, care and
access to anti-retroviral treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the pattern
of HIV-status disclosure among men and women respectively as well as to evaluate
the factors that influenced HIV-status disclosure among these groups.
A sample of 74 participants from four Infectious Disease Control Clinics located in
Gaborone, Botswana completed self-administered questionnaires. The contents of the
questionnaire addressed issues around knowledge and attitude towards disclosure,
timing of disclosure and to whom, reasons for disclosure or non-disclosure, barriers to
disclosure and consequences of disclosure.
The study found that the majority of respondents had disclosed their HIV-status.
Disclosure was more common among older participants for both men and women. In
most scenarios presented to respondents, women were more willing than men to
disclose their HIV status. However, men were more willing to disclose their status if
they were e.g. faced with situations in which they were seriously ill, where their
peers or friends were also willing to disclose their status or in cases where they would
not be able to keep their hospital visits secret.
Further research is needed on disclosure pattern among both males and females of
low and high socio-economic status. The study recommended that the subject of
disclosure should be introduced into routine HIV/AIDS improvement monitoring
parameters.