Psychological status of children affected by HIV/AIDS aged 13 to 17 in two southwest counties of China

Objective To understand the psychological status of children affected by HIV/AIDS in two southwest counties of China.Methods With typical sampling,100 children affected by HIV/AIDS aged 13 to 17 were conducted a survey in two southwest counties of China,and 116 children from families not affected by AIDS were surveyed as the control group.Psychological questionnaire was used for household survey.Results The psychological status of children affected by HIV/AIDS was generally worse compared with children from families non-affected.In the 9 dimensions of psychology,the mood dimension had significant difference;the average scores of the children affected and the children non-affected were 2.39 and 2.64,respectively.61.0% of the children affected by HIV/AIDS wept often because of grief,whereas that of the non-affected children was 42.2%.The rate of children affected by HIV/AIDS unable to feel happy was 36.0%,nearly twice as much as that of the non-affected children(18.1%).87.0% of the children affected by HIV/AIDS felt comfortable to get along with their peers,while that of the non-affected children was 95.7%.Conclusion The psychological status of children affected by HIV/AIDS was generally worse compared with children from families non-affected.The psychological pressure was great and the capability for social communication was low among children affected by HIV/AIDS.