One challenge faced by mothers living with HIV (MLWHs) is the decision about
whether or not to disclose their HIV status to their young children, and how
best to carry out the disclosure. Disclosure of their serostatus has emerged as
one of the main concerns MLWHs have, and that decision can result in high levels
of psychological distress. Concerns are exacerbated among MLWHs with younger
children, due to the fact that they face additional worries, such as whether the
child is old enough to understand, or will be able to keep the information
confidential. A great deal of recent research — within approximately
the past decade — has been conducted to investigate maternal
disclosure of HIV, and the outcomes on children. This article reviews the
current state of the research literature, focusing on factors that appear to
influence whether or not mothers chose to disclose; characteristics of children
who have been made aware of their mothers' serostatus relative to children who
remain unaware; factors that appear to influence children's reactions to
maternal disclosure; and implications of this research as well as future
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