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

Visser, M.J. (Maretha Johanna)Neufeld, Sharon A.De Villiers, AnnelizeMakin, J.D. (Jennifer Dianne)Forsyth, Brian William Cameron2009-05-272009-05-272008-10Visser, 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]0954-012110.1080/09540120701842779http://hdl.handle.net/2263/10190HIV-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.enRoutledge. 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.DisclosurePregnancyHIVAIDSQualitative researchWomen in AfricaPregnant womenHIV-positive women -- City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (South Africa)Disclosure of informationSocial networksTo tell or not to tell : South African women's disclosure of HIV status during pregnancyPostprint Article