AEGiS-APPJ: Disclosing the Diagnosis of HIV in Pediatrics

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Disclosing the Diagnosis of HIV in Pediatrics

AIDS & Public Policy Journal 17, no. 1 (Spring 2002) 3-12
Erin Flanagan-Klygis, Lainie Friedman Ross, John Lantos, Joel Frader, and Ram Yogev

The existing literature reports a high prevalence of non-disclosure of HIV diagnosis to children 4-12 years. Parental reasons for non-disclosure include children's ability to understand information, concern about causing depression, and fears of social stigma and discrimination.

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement, "Disclosure of Illness Status to Child or Adolescent with HIV Infection," in which it encouraged developmentally appropriate disclosure to adolescents. The AAP recommendations are not controversial, but implementing them may be complex, as many parents want to shield their children from this diagnosis.

In this preliminary study, we to begin to describe the dilemma of non-disclosure from the perspectives of parents and physicians. More study is needed to observe how changing social attitudes and more effective therapies will influence parental wishes for non-disclosure; to examine the psychosocial impact of non-disclosure on children; and to clarify specific ways caregivers can identify a parent's/child's readiness for disclosure.
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