Pathways from parental AIDS to psychological, educational and HIV risks for children
Research has evidenced that parental AIDS-illness and death have severe negative impacts on children. However, it needs to be understood as to why AIDS has these effects. This policy brief is based on a study that aimed to identify these pathways, and thus identify important targets for interventions. The three key outcomes of psychological, HIV-infection risks and educational pathways were examined. A cross-sectional survey of 6 002 children, aged 10-17, was conducted in rural and urban sites in the Western Cape, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Validated scales and symptom checklists were used and statistical analysis using structural equation modeling in AMOS 19 identified pathways of risk. Findings revealed that AIDS orphanhood and parent AIDS-illness impact children through a set of linked factors. Family AIDS increases the likelihood of parental disability, poverty, community violence, stigma and child abuse, and these in turn negatively impact children. These risk pathways work in chain effects – they link with each other to increase risks further. Implications for programming include targeting programmes at these intervening factors such as hunger and abuse can interrupt pathways of risk for AIDS-affected children. Many of these factors have good evidence of effective interventions, such as cash transfers to reduce poverty, and parenting support programmes to reduce abuse.
View full text