PEDIATRIC HIV, SOCIAL SUPPORT AND CAREGIVER ADJUSTMENT

本研究的目的是确定家庭社会支持、照顾者疾病适应和HIV阳性儿童的认知和心理社会发展之间是否存在关系。具体地说，这项研究的目的是确定母亲对自身艾滋病毒状况的调整是否可以解释儿童发育水平的差异，而不是由孩子自身的艾滋病毒状况、艾滋病毒症状、结束时的CD4计数所解释的差异。儿童的认知发展将通过贝利婴幼儿发展量表、韦克斯勒学前和小学智力量表或韦氏儿童智力量表第三版进行评估。心理社会发展将通过巴特尔发展量表的个人-社会适应领域进行评估。此外，母亲必须完成一份简短的问卷调查，评估家庭社会支持、疾病适应和人口特征。尽管以前的研究试图探讨艾滋病毒和心理社会因素在艾滋病毒阳性儿童的发展和适应中可能发挥的作用，但很少有人缩小调查范围，以审查母亲的适应在儿童发展中可能发挥的作用。因此，这项研究不仅将增加关于儿童艾滋病毒心理社会方面的极少数研究，而且还将有助于阐明儿童艾滋病毒患者发展过程中的一些问题。由于这些儿童的预期寿命持续增长，了解这种疾病的心理社会方面，特别是母子方面似乎特别重要。

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a relationship exists between family social support, caregiver disease adjustment, and cognitive and psychosocial development of HIV-positive children. Specifically, this study aims to determine whether the adjustment of mothers to their own HIV status can explain the variance in child developmental level beyond that explained by the child's own HIV status, HIV symptoms, end CD4 count. The cognitive development of the child will be assessed via the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition. Psychosocial development will be assessed via the Personal-Social Adaptive domain of the Battelle Developmental Inventory. In addition, mothers will have to complete a brief packet of questionnaire measures assessing family social support, disease adjustment, and demographic characteristics. Although previous studies have attempted to examine the role that HIV and psychosocial factors may play in the development and adjustment of HIV-positive children, few have narrowed down the scope of the investigation to examine the role that maternal adjustment may play in the child's development. As such, this study will not only add to the very few studies on the psychosocial aspects of pediatric HIV, but it will also help elucidate some of the issues involved in the development of pediatric HIV patients. Due to the continued rise in the life expectancy of these children, understanding the psychosocial and in particular the mother child aspects of this disorder seems especially important.