Children at Risk: A Study of the Psychosocial Impact of HIV on Orphans and other Vulnerable Children in Benin

Abstract


This paper describes the effect of parental HIV on the life of children in Benin. A total of 2,043 children aged from 10 to 16 were surveyed on health, diet, violence, school attendance and psychosocial state. The results indicate that, while Beninese children who have had a parent living with HIV are not necessarily subjected to different economic and material conditions than those who have not, they do experience a much greater lack of psychosocial support. In contrast to children whose parents are not known to have HIV, these affected children are less prone to general illness (OR=0.69, 95 per cent CI 0.55-0.86). However, when they are sick, HIV-affected children are significantly more likely to undertake self-treatment (OR=1.38; 95 per cent CI 1.04-1.86) and more likely to work (OR=1.65, 95 per cent CI 1.04-2.60). They are also offered fewer meals than unaffected children (OR=1.94; 95 per cent CI 1.52-2.47). With respect to psychosocial factors, the data suggest that children who have had a parent with HIV have significantly higher levels of psychological distress than those who have not. Governments and civil society organisations need to address not only the material deprivation, especially hunger, of children thus affected by HIV, but also their need for social services.



Lise Rosendal Østergaard Dan W. Meyrowitsch | source: Africa Development 435 |
Categories: Health Violations Care


Other articles

Child Detachment as a Correlate of Social Well-Being of Orphaned Children in Ibadan and Abeokuta, Nigeria

This study investigated child detachment as a correlate of social well-being among orphaned children from selected orphanages…

Read more

Political Orphans?

This chapter aims to dispel the lies spread irresponsibly—by some mischievous individuals in Kashmir and elsewhere in India—that…

Read more

The long-term impact of early parental death: lessons from a narrative study

Objective To explore the individual experiences of those who had experienced the death of a parent(s) before the age of…

Read more

Self-efficacy, academic performance and school transition among orphaned adolescents in southern Uganda

Introduction: Self-efficacy is critical to adolescents’ development. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy,…

Read more