ABSTRACT
ISSUES AND PURPOSE: The stigma of HIV infection creates barriers to disclosure. The purpose of this study was to identify to whom biological and foster mothers disclose the diagnosis of HIV infection, discuss their rationale, and describe the recipient's reactions. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive, qualitative study included biological (n = 9) and foster (n = 11) mothers of children with HIV infection. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the data: Telling for support, determining who should know, and telling children. These themes were present for both biological and foster mothers. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is important for nurses to realize that parental disclosure of the diagnosis of HIV infection is a long-term, age-appropriate process that will take place over many discussions and time, and should have the support of the interdisciplinary team. Additional psychological support also should be available.
Subject(s)
Foster Home Care/psychology , HIV Infections/psychology , Mothers/psychology , Truth Disclosure , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Demography , Female , Foster Home Care/statistics & numerical data , HIV Infections/nursing , HIV Seropositivity/psychology , HIV-1/immunology , Humans , Interviews as Topic/methods , Middle Aged , Midwestern United States , Mothers/statistics & numerical dataSubject(s)
Internet , Pediatric Nursing/methods , School Nursing/methods , Violence/prevention & control , Adolescent , Child , HumansABSTRACT
It is imperative that clinicians understand basic human genetic concepts. In this article, the patterns of inheritance for single gene disorders are described and include the traditional Mendelian, nontraditional, and multifactorial patterns. Next, chromosomal and structural abnormalities are described, followed by a description of the current measures by which genes are detected, including gene mapping and polymorphisms, and concluding with cytogenetic, molecular, and biochemical testing.
