Redefining treatment: how biological mothers manage their children's treatment for perinatally acquired HIV

Current medical thinking supports early initiation of aggressive approaches to the management of perinatally acquired HIV infection. Biological mothers, however, may not endorse this way of managing their child's condition. For this study, grounded theory methods were used to conduct secondary analysis of eight semi-structured in-depth interviews with parents of children with perinatally acquired HIV. Biological mothers' perspectives on their children's treatment for perinatally acquired HIV infection, the strategies they used to manage their children's treatment and sociocultural influences on mothers' beliefs and actions are explored and described. Creation of a framework that may be useful for future research and recommendations for clinical practice are offered.