Maternal HIV infection and perinatal transmission: Psychological impact of offspring health status.
Item
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Title
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Maternal HIV infection and perinatal transmission: Psychological impact of offspring health status.
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Identifier
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AAI9924816
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identifier
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9924816
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Creator
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Harris, Ilona Kay.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Steven Tuber
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Date
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1999
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Health Sciences, Mental Health | Psychology, Social | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies
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Abstract
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Despite the fact that most women infected by HIV are of childbearing age, little research has focussed on the psychological interaction of motherhood and HIV. This study aimed to examine four areas of psychological impact of offspring serostatus on HIV infected women: use of denial as a psychological defense, characteristic affect level, identification with and assessment of offspring, and subjective sense of disease process. The Thematic Apperception Test, semantic differential tests, a drawing task and a semi-structured interview were used to assess women in each of these domains. Four groups of ten women each comprised the sample for this study: (1) HIV infected women with infected children (11), (2) HIV infected women with uninfected children (IU), (3) HIV infected women with both infected and uninfected children (IIU), and (4) uninfected women with uninfected children (UU). Findings supported a link between offspring serostatus and maternal defense use. Offspring serostatus was not shown to impact on participants' level of affect maturity; the generally low level of affect maturity among all participants was, however, noteworthy. Identification of women with their children appeared to be related to offspring serostatus based on interview data though not according to quantitative measures. Evaluations of offspring by their mothers were linked to serostatus; the children of women in the II group were evaluated most positively. Subjective sense of disease process also was linked to serostatus of offspring; compared with participants in the other groups, women in the IU group considered themselves the most affected by disease. Findings suggest that members of the IU group may have difficulty in mobilizing defenses sufficient to sustain hope; these women may be at particular risk for low self esteem and depression. This work also suggests that members of the II group use denial to a degree that may impair rational decision making in two areas: use of contraception and compliance with medical regimens.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
