OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychosocial stressors experienced by fathers of children diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: Thirty-one fathers whose children (ages 6 to 19) were participating in pediatric HIV clinical trials completed self-report measures of parenting stress, psychological distress, and need for psychosocial services. RESULTS: Over half of this sample experienced significantly elevated levels of both parenting stress and psychological distress compared to standardized norms. Ninety-seven percent of these men reported the need for services including gender-specific support groups, assistance with discipline, disease management, and assistance with planning for the future. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of parenting stress and psychological distress in fathers of children living with HIV suggest the need for additional psychological intervention in this population.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychosocial stressors experienced by fathers of children diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: Thirty-one fathers whose children (ages 6 to 19) were participating in pediatric HIV clinical trials completed self-report measures of parenting stress, psychological distress, and need for psychosocial services. RESULTS: Over half of this sample experienced significantly elevated levels of both parenting stress and psychological distress compared to standardized norms. Ninety-seven percent of these men reported the need for services including gender-specific support groups, assistance with discipline, disease management, and assistance with planning for the future. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of parenting stress and psychological distress in fathers of children living with HIV suggest the need for additional psychological intervention in this population.
Authors: Ronald T Brown; Lori Wiener; Mary Jo Kupst; Tara Brennan; Richard Behrman; Bruce E Compas; T David Elkin; Diane L Fairclough; Sarah Friebert; Ernest Katz; Anne E Kazak; Avi Madan-Swain; Nancy Mansfield; Larry L Mullins; Robert Noll; Andrea Farkas Patenaude; Sean Phipps; O J Sahler; Barbara Sourkes; Lonnie Zeltzer Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2007-09-29