International Family Planning Perspectives 25–35% of infants born to HIV-infected women become infected themselves.1 In some areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, vertical transmission of HIV has led to rising child mortality rates, eroding the hardwon gains of child survival programs.2 Moreover, the children who escape infection from their HIV-positive mothers are likely to join the rapidly growing num...

The China Ministry of Health has estimated that there are at least 100,000 AIDS orphans in China. The UNICEF China Office estimates that between 150,000 and 250,000 additional children will be orphaned by AIDS over the next five years. However, limited data are available regarding the sociodemographic characteristics, care arrangements, barriers to appropriate grief resolution and psychological...

In 2002, 13% of children aged between 2 and 14 years in South Africa had lost a mother, a father or both parents. The Centre for Actuarial Research at the University of the Western Cape estimated that by July 2002 more than 885 000 children under the age of 18 had lost their mothers, with 38% of those deaths attributed to AIDS.' Seen in the context of South Africa's high rate of mother-to-child...

An assessment of the current and future mortality and morbidity from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Côte d'Ivoire was made using the results of the 1989 national survey of the prevalence of human immunodeficiency (HIV) infection in the country and the AIDS projection model developed by WHO. For 1989 it was estimated that about 25,000 AIDS cases in adults and children had occurred,...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of expressive arts therapy on decreasing anxiety of orphaned girls living in family-like centers of Mashhad, Iran.  Methods: One week prior to final examinations, participants were randomly assigned to either an expressive art-making group or a control group. The State-trait anxiety inventory was administered before and af...

From 1997 through 2007, the Horizons program conducted research to inform the care and support of children who had been orphaned and rendered vulnerable by acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in sub-Saharan Africa. Horizons conducted studies in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Research included both diagnostic studies exploring the circumstances of families and ...

Understanding the impact of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic is critical for developing appropriate interventions to create supportive environments for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Unfortunately, there are very few studies on the psychosocial wellbeing of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa, and even fewer in Tanzania. It has been difficult to make generalizatio...

Mental health is an essential component of adolescent health and wellbeing. Mental health practitioners assess adolescents' mental health status to identify possible issues that may lead to mental health problems. However, very few of the tools used to assess the mental health status of adolescents include assessment for grieving and coping patterns. The current tools used for assessing an indi...