The Experiences of HIV Status Disclosure among Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence

Ira Rahmawati, Ratna Dewi

2018

Abstract

Disclosure of HIV status among HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women may significantly improve their uptake and adherence in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs. However, many women choose not to disclose their status because of several factors. This review aimed to understand the experiences of HIV-positive women on HIV-status disclosure during pregnancy and postpartum period. Five databases were searched to identify relevant qualitative studies published in English language from 2000 to 2017. A three-step search strategy was utilized in this review. An initial limited search of CINAHL and PubMed was undertaken followed by analysis of the text words contained in the title and abstract, and the index terms used to describe article. A second search using all identified keywords and index terms was conducted across all included databases. Thirdly, the reference list of all identified articles was searched for additional studies. Studies that met inclusion criteria were considered, which include qualitative studies, participants of the study were HIV positive pregnant or postpartum women and studies that aimed to understand the experiences of HIV-positive women on HIV-status disclosure in the context of pregnancy and post-partum period. Qualitative papers selected for retrieval were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological validity prior to inclusion in this review using the standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI). Data extraction was also conducted using the JBI-QARI. Three qualitative studies were included in this review. Twenty themes were extracted, which were then aggregated into six categories and three synthesized findings. The six categories namely reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure HIV-positive status to the partner, family, and friends, positive and negative experiences of disclosure and pattern of disclosure. The reasons for disclosure and non-disclosure of HIV-positive status among women during pregnancy and the postpartum period are different depending on to whom they disclose. Some of the women experienced negative outcomes of disclosure such as violence, which may negatively influence their decision to disclose in the future. Lastly, HIV-positive women need continuing support and counselling to cope with the outcomes of disclosure practice.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Rahmawati I. and Dewi R. (2018). The Experiences of HIV Status Disclosure among Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence.In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of Indonesian National Nurses Association - Volume 1: ICINNA, ISBN 978-989-758-406-0, pages 31-41. DOI: 10.5220/0008199900310041

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icinna18,
author={Ira Rahmawati and Ratna Dewi},
title={The Experiences of HIV Status Disclosure among Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of Indonesian National Nurses Association - Volume 1: ICINNA,},
year={2018},
pages={31-41},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0008199900310041},
isbn={978-989-758-406-0},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of Indonesian National Nurses Association - Volume 1: ICINNA,
TI - The Experiences of HIV Status Disclosure among Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence
SN - 978-989-758-406-0
AU - Rahmawati I.
AU - Dewi R.
PY - 2018
SP - 31
EP - 41
DO - 10.5220/0008199900310041