Depression in caregivers of status-naïve pediatric HIV patients participating in a status disclosure study in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: preliminary report
Beck-Sagué, C.M.; Dévieux, J.G.; Pinzón-Iregui, Mía.Claudia.; Abreu-Pérez, R.; Lerebours-Nadal, L.; Gaston, S.; Dean, A.G.; Halpern, M.; Rouzier, V.; Bertrand, R.; Rosenberg, R.; Pape, J.William.; Nicholas, S.W.; Blasini, I.
Journal of tropical pediatrics 61(1): 65-68
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 1465-3664 PMID: 25389181 DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmu060Document Number: 641031
A pilot study is underway to assess safety and acceptability of an intervention to disclose their HIV infection status to status-naïve pediatric antiretroviral therapy patients in Hispaniola [the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR)]. Of 22 Haiti and 47 DR caregivers recruited to date, 68.2% Haiti and 34.0% DR caregivers had clinically significant depressive symptomatology at the time of enrollment (p = 0.008). Depressive symptom prevalence was higher in Haiti caregivers who were female (81.3% vs. 0 in males; p = 0.02) and in DR caregivers who were patients' mothers (50.0%) or grandmothers (66.7%; 56.0% combined) than others (9.1%), (p < 0.001). Internalized stigma was more commonly reported by Haiti (85.7%) than DR (53.2%; p = 0.01) caregivers; 56.4% of Haiti and DR caregivers reporting internalized stigma vs. 26.1% of caregivers denying it had depressive symptoms (p = 0.02). Depression is common in Hispaniola caregivers possibly affecting disclosure timing. Study participation presents opportunities for addressing caregiver depression.