Disclosure of diagnosis and planning for the future in HIV-affected families in Europe

Information relating to disclosure of infection status in families affected by HIV and the existence of plans for the future social care of children with infected parents was collected as part of a larger survey on clinical and psychosocial service use of these families. Parents and alternative carers of HIV-affected children in follow-up in 10 paediatric centres from seven European countries were surveyed. A total of 182 questionnaires were returned: most (73%) were completed by parents, of whom 92% were HIV-infected. Of the 226 children cared for by the respondents, most (62%) were HIV-infected. Disclosure of both the child's and the parent's infection status was rare and found to be associated with child's age in both cases. Infected children living with their parents were less likely to know their diagnosis than those living in alternative care. Uninfected parents and carers were significantly more likely to want professional help with disclosing to an infected child than infected parents. Infected parents also face difficult decisions regarding the issue of who will care for their children when they are unable to. Half of the infected parents had made long-term plans for their children's future social care. European parents were more likely to have made such plans than those from elsewhere (mainly Africa) and parents with plans had known about their HIV infection for significantly longer than those without. Increasing numbers of vertically infected children are reaching adolescence as a result of improvements in the management of paediatric HIV infection. As both disclosure and planning for the future social care of HIV-affected children have been found to be strongly associated with child's age, the changing epidemiology of paediatric HIV highlights the need for more information on these issues in order to support families more effectively.