ABSTRACT

This study examined the patterns of emotional and behavioural problems in children from an HIV hyperendemic sub-Saharan Africa setting. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was administered to 198 parents/caregivers of children living with HIV aged 2–12 years, attending a paediatric HIV out-patient service at a public sector hospital in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) which consists of five sub-scales (i.e. emotional difficulties, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention symptoms, peer problems and prosocial behaviours) were used to capture data on emotional and behavioural problems in children. The results indicated that over half of sampled children (n = 115, 58.1%) had abnormal levels of problems in at least one sub-scale, with adjusted regression indicating that academic difficulties and delayed milestones were significantly associated (i.e. greater total SDQ score as a continuous measure). Lower parental/caregiver educational attainment (i.e. not having tertiary education) was the only parent/caregiver characteristic associated with greater emotional and behavioural problems. Given the high prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems and its link to academic difficulties and delayed milestones, the need for screening and developmental support for children living with HIV may be warranted.

摘要

这项研究调查了撒哈拉以南非洲艾滋病毒高流行地区儿童的情绪和行为问题模式。对南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省一家公立医院儿童艾滋病毒门诊的 198 名 2-12 岁艾滋病毒感染者的父母/照顾者进行了一项横断面问卷调查。家长版的优势与困难问卷（SDQ）由五个子量表（即情绪困难、品行问题、多动/注意力不集中症状、同伴问题和亲社会行为）组成，用于收集儿童情绪和行为问题的数据。结果表明，超过一半的样本儿童（n = 115，58.1%）至少在一个子量表中存在异常水平的问题，调整后的回归表明学业困难和延迟的里程碑显着相关（即更高的 SDQ 总分连续测量）。父母/照顾者教育程度较低（即没有接受过高等教育）是与更大的情绪和行为问题相关的唯一父母/照顾者特征。鉴于情绪和行为问题的高发率及其与学业困难和延迟里程碑的联系，可能需要对艾滋病毒感染者进行筛查和发展支持。