Necessity of Systematic HIV Disclosure in HIV-infected Families: Committed Communities Development Trust’s Approach and Intervention

ABSTRACT

Due to greater access to antiretroviral therapy, telling adolescents that they are HIV-infected and/or affected has become an integral and intricate part of the treatment protocol. Despite growing treatment resources from public and private sectors, there is a lack of systematic disclosure for children and adolescents affected and living with HIV/AIDS. Committed Communities Development Trust, a nongovernment organization working with children and adults infected with and/or affected by HIV, conducted a mixed-methods, crosssectional study with 33 families in their home-based care program to evaluate their current disclosure protocol. The findings indicate that these experiences implementing and fine-tuning this protocol provide useful lessons for other Indian non-government organizations working with HIV-positive families.