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HIV‐infected African families living in Stockholm/Sweden: their social network, level of disclosure and knowledge about HIV
Author(s) -
Åsander AnnSofie,
Belfrage Erik,
Pehrson PehrOlov,
Lindstein Thomas,
Björkman Anders
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1369-6866.2004.00299.x
Subject(s) - human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , social network (sociolinguistics) , welfare , isolation (microbiology) , social support , social welfare , transmission (telecommunications) , social isolation , medicine , sociology , psychology , family medicine , social psychology , psychiatry , political science , computer science , telecommunications , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , law , social media
Most HIV‐infected parents in Stockholm are of African origin. Many of them have several children, but their social network is often limited. This article looks at the networks of these families in relation to different aspects of HIV in order to improve the support strategies. The theoretical basis of the study rests on network and ecological systems theory. The social networks of the families in the study were found to be generally of similar size in Sweden and in the home country. However, of 47 HIV‐infected parents only 21 (45%) had disclosed their HIV status to friends and relatives in Sweden. The lack of a social network was especially prominent among single women. Contact with counsellors at the HIV clinic and the social welfare office increased the probability of disclosure about HIV infection. The lack of knowledge about HIV transmission and about whom to inform about the infection stresses the importance of improved counselling. The support strategies aimed at broadening the patient's network and breaking their isolation need to be continued and strengthened.