Behavioural Risks in Early Adolescents with HIV Positive Mothers

Although advances in medical treatment have reduced mortality in people living with HIV, thousands of children will continue to cope with the stress of living with a parent who has a chronic, potentially fatal disease, particularly given the increasing rate of infection in women of child-bearing age. For HIV –negative youth, the stress of living with parental HIV disease superimposed upon pre-existing difficult situations, including growing up in chronic poverty with exposure to family disruption, daily stress, violence and trauma. This study examines the effect of maternal HIV infection on sexual and drug use risk behavior as well as delinquency and more general behavior problems in a sample of HIV negative early adolescents aged 10-14 years. The study revealed that maternal HIV status did not significantly add to the risk for problem behaviors. [Gyansadhana 2009]