Debunking Common Barriers to Pediatric HIV Disclosure

Abstract

As HIV-positive children continue to gain more access to antiretroviral therapy and survive into young adulthood, caregivers face the difficult process of disclosing a child's HIV status to that child. Although disclosure has many proven benefits for mental health, psychosocial development, caregiver well-being, treatment adherence and future planning, such a process is still often met with resistance. This article discusses the main reasons given for delaying or avoiding disclosure of a child's HIV status. Each barrier to disclosure is discussed and debunked as an insufficient reason to delay the positive benefits that the disclosure process has shown to produce. HIV disclosure is a critical and multifaceted issue in children. Such a process has been shown to best involve a multi-disciplinary support team that assists caregivers in continually adapting the disclosure discussion to meet the developmental needs and understanding of each individual child over time.