Barenbaum Edna, Smith Tamarah
a Department of Psychology , Cabrini College , Radnor , PA , USA.
AIDS Care. 2016 Mar;28 Suppl 2(sup2):92-9. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1176683.
The literature on the psychological well-being of children impacted by HIV/AIDS in Africa highlights increased vulnerability due to loss of parents and environmental stressors (e.g., hunger). Research shows that the lack of attachment and social support due to loss limits the grieving process in children. Access to trusting adults and social support through caregivers can be an important protective factor to allow for coping and better emotional adjustment in the future. This study examined social support systems across varying living environments to determine if social support promoted higher levels of well-being in children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. The participants included 100 children from a small targeted population in southern Africa who receive varying levels of support from a private not-for-profit organization. Children's well-being was assessed through the Psycho-Social Adjustment Scale-Adolescents developed specifically for vulnerable child populations in Africa. Children were individually interviewed either on their homestead, school or hostel. Data demonstrated that children who do not share their feelings had significantly lower measures of positive well-being (M = 2.61 (0.87) vs. M = 3.10 (0.57), d = 0.60). Children with trusted adults were significantly more likely to share their feelings and had lower incidence of hunger (49.1% vs. 62.5%), suicide ideation (15.1% vs. 62.5%) and witnessing violence (69.8% vs. 87.5%). Sharing feelings with caregivers was more pronounced among children who had greater access to trusted adults and correlated with stronger attachment scores (r = .30, p < .01). An important component to decrease levels of anxiety and depression in this vulnerable population is providing access to trusted individuals. Social support interventions are discussed.
关于非洲受艾滋病毒/艾滋病影响儿童心理健康的文献强调，由于父母离世和环境压力源（如饥饿），他们变得更加脆弱。研究表明，因父母离世导致的情感缺失和社会支持不足限制了儿童的悲伤过程。通过照顾者获得可信赖的成年人的支持和社会支持，可能是一个重要的保护因素，有助于儿童应对未来的困难并实现更好的情绪调节。本研究调查了不同生活环境中的社会支持系统，以确定社会支持是否能提升因艾滋病毒/艾滋病而成为孤儿且易受伤害的儿童的幸福感。研究对象包括来自南部非洲一小部分特定人群的100名儿童，他们从一个私人非营利组织获得不同程度的支持。通过专门为非洲弱势儿童群体开发的青少年心理社会适应量表对儿童的幸福感进行评估。研究人员在儿童的家中、学校或宿舍对他们进行单独访谈。数据显示，不分享感受的儿童积极幸福感得分显著较低（M = 2.61（0.87）对M = 3.10（0.57），d = 0.60）。有可信赖成年人的儿童更有可能分享自己的感受，饥饿发生率较低（49.1%对62.5%）、自杀意念发生率较低（15.1%对62.5%）以及目睹暴力的发生率较低（69.8%对87.5%）。在更容易接触到可信赖成年人的儿童中，与照顾者分享感受的情况更为明显，且与更强的依恋得分相关（r = 0.30，p < 0.01）。为这个弱势群体降低焦虑和抑郁水平的一个重要因素是让他们能够接触到可信赖的人。本文还讨论了社会支持干预措施。
