Author : Abimbola Folashade Idowu
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (12 download)
Book Synopsis Factors Associated with Disclosure of HIV -seropositive Status Among African American Women by : Abimbola Folashade Idowu
Download or read book Factors Associated with Disclosure of HIV -seropositive Status Among African American Women written by Abimbola Folashade Idowu and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Disclosure of HIV-seropositive status is an important issue among African American women among whom the epidemic grew during the second decade of the disease. An HIV diagnosis permeates all aspects of womens' life in which they ponder on the consequences of disclosure on their relationships with family, friends and sex partners. On one side of the spectrum is perceived stigma and isolation and, on the other side is the possibility of experiencing all types of social support from network members and getting needed access to HIV treatment and sustained care. This study examined disclosure patterns among HIV-seropositive African American women who self-reported their serostatus. A sample of 476 African American women who disclosed their HIV-seropositive status was obtained from HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS). Logistic regression analyses were undertaken to examine predictors of disclosure to targets adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors, social support, stigma and clinical indicators. The study offers evidence of disclosure to multiple compared to single targets, support seeking behavior and perception of stigma among the study population. Perceived emotional support was associated with disclosure occurrence as well as disclosure to multiple targets among HIV-seropositive African American women in this study. Women who worried about others knowing their seropositive status were less likely than those who did not worry to disclose their HIV serostatus. Management of HIV-status information was associated with lower occurrence of disclosure to multiple targets. Having a main partner was consistently associated with disclosure and disclosure to multiple targets. Elapsed period between diagnosis to partner disclosure pattern was identified. Implications for practice are that people disclosed to by HIV-seropositive women should become a harnessed group to serve as part of their social support groups. Counseling for women who perceive stigma and did not seek support should be intensified. Ryan White Act provisions should be expanded to cover these groups. Disclosure of HIV seropositive status remains relevant in HIV and AIDS and its continued study becomes imperative as patterns, consequences and socio-cultural factors among African Americans are understood.-- Abstract.