To tell or not to tell : South African women's disclosure of HIV status during pregnancy

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dc.contributor.author Visser, M.J. (Maretha Johanna)
dc.contributor.author Neufeld, Sharon A.
dc.contributor.author De Villiers, Annelize
dc.contributor.author Makin, J.D. (Jennifer Dianne)
dc.contributor.author Forsyth, Brian William Cameron
dc.date.accessioned 2009-05-27T07:29:19Z
dc.date.available 2009-05-27T07:29:19Z
dc.date.issued 2008-10
dc.description.abstract HIV-positive pregnant women often do not disclose their serostatus to their partners, family and friends, creating potential barriers to preventing sexual transmission to partners and mother-to-child transmission through breastfeeding. This research explores recently diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women's reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure of serostatus to various members of their social networks, as well as the consequences of their disclosure. Data were collected through open-ended questions as part of a semi-structured interview with 293 recently diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women recruited from antenatal clinics in two townships in Tshwane, South Africa. A content analysis of responses showed that women weighed fear of abandonment and discrimination against their desire to raise risk awareness and their need for support. Partners most often responded to disclosure with disbelief and shock, whereas parents frequently exhibited emotional distress, but were still supportive, as were other relatives and friends. The women subsequently experienced low levels of adverse consequences after disclosure. The results can assist healthcare providers in understanding the complexity of pregnant women's decisions to disclose to various members of their social networks and emphasize the need for continued counselling and support. en_US
dc.description.sponsorship National Institute for Child Health and Development en_US
dc.identifier.citation Visser, MJ, Neufeld, S, De Villiers, A, Makin, JD & Forsyth, BWC 2008, 'To tell or not to tell : South African women's disclosure of HIV status during pregnancy', AIDS Care, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 1138-1145. [http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/09540121.asp] en_US
dc.identifier.issn 0954-0121
dc.identifier.other 10.1080/09540120701842779
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/10190
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Routledge en_US
dc.rights Routledge. This is an electronic version of an article published in AIDS Care, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 1138-1145, October 2008. AIDS Care is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713403300~db=all. en_US
dc.subject Disclosure en_US
dc.subject Pregnancy en_US
dc.subject HIV en_US
dc.subject AIDS en_US
dc.subject Qualitative research en_US
dc.subject Women in Africa en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Pregnant women
dc.subject.lcsh HIV-positive women -- City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (South Africa)
dc.subject.lcsh Disclosure of information
dc.subject.lcsh Social networks
dc.title To tell or not to tell : South African women's disclosure of HIV status during pregnancy en_US
dc.type Postprint Article en_US


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