he aim of this research brief is to summarize a case
report study that described an HIV-positive married
couple’s poor disclosure experience of their illnesses to
all their children in the household. It is important to
communicate this couple’s HIV disclosure experience to
healthcare professionals (HCPs) so that they are aware
of the problems that can occur if married or cohabiting
couples do not collaborate with each other during the
disclosure process. The data presented in the case
report study and in this research brief should be used
to provide targeted counseling to HIV-positive parents
or cohabiting couples considering disclosure to their
children.
BACKGROUND
In Kenya as of 2012, there were 1.2 million HIV-infected
adults aged 15-64 years with a HIV prevalence of 5.6%
(NACC & NASCOP, 2014). The prevalence of the illness
is expected to keep rising in the decades to come as
infected persons live longer due to ART availability
(NACC & NASCOP, 2012). Therefore, the need to
address HIV disclosure within these families will
continue for many years to come.
HIV-positive parents are challenged by disclosure
(Gachanja, Burkholder, & Ferraro, 2014a; Gachanja,
Burkholder, & Ferraro, 2014b; Kallem, Renner,
Ghebremichael, & Paintsil, 2011; Kennedy et al., 2010)
especially if there are many family members infected
(Republic of Kenya, 2009). Disclosure progresses from
a state where children have no knowledge of their
parents’ illnesses, to partial disclosure when they know
that their parents are sick or taking medications, and
finally to full disclosure when they are told that their
parents are HIV-positive (Bikaako-Kajura et al., 2006;
Kallem et al., 2011; Vaz et al., 2011). Disclosure results
in mixed effects in children; these may be positive or
negative and be displayed internally or externally
(Gachanja, 2015; Gachanja et al., 2014a; Kennedy et al.,
2010; Vallerand et al., 2005).