Barriers to Disclosure of HIV Positive Status to Sexual Partner(S) In the Central Region, Ghana.

dc.contributor.advisorNortey, P.
dc.contributor.authorBoampong- Konam, K. A.
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health
dc.date.accessioned2016-04-28T10:06:56Z
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-14T04:25:48Z
dc.date.available2016-04-28T10:06:56Z
dc.date.available2017-10-14T04:25:48Z
dc.date.issued2015-06
dc.descriptionThesis (MPhil.) - University of Ghana, 2015
dc.description.abstractBackground: It is estimated that 224,488 persons made up of 189,931 adults and 34,557 children (15%) are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Ghana (Ghana AIDS Commission, 2013). Disclosure to sexual partner (s) is one of the key strategies in HIV prevention as it may promote safer sex practices, prevents new infections to partner (s), reduces the risk of mother-to child transmission, increases social support and reduces depression. Studies in Africa on HIV status disclosure have documented varying low rates among countries. People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have difficulties in disclosing their HIV status to others for fear of negative consequences. HIV status disclosure has far reaching implications on the future course of the disease. In Ghana there is limited data on HIV status disclosure and the barriers to HIV status disclosure among sexual partners remain unclear. Objective: To determine the prevalence of and barriers to HIV status disclosure to a regular sexual partner among HIV positive clients attending Antiretroviral Clinics in the Central Region. Materials and Methods: This was a cross- sectional study. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire was administered to consenting HIV positive adults in 7 randomly selected treatment sites. Frequencies, proportions and Odds Ratios were calculated with STATA SE 13. Results: A total of 461 HIV positive clients were recruited. Most (65.5%, n=302) respondents were females. The mean age of the respondents was 33.9 (±7.4) years. Most respondents were aged between 20-35 (35.6%, n=164,) years. The overall prevalence of disclosure to a sexual partner was 41.2 %( n=190).The prevalence and odds of disclosure were greater in males (44%, n=70). The main determinants of HIV status disclosure include age 20-35 (AOR: 5.49; 95% CI,1.87-16.14), knowing a partner’s status (AOR: 6.89; 95%CI, 2.81-16.88), knowing the relevance of disclosure (AOR: 227.0; 95% CI, 46.13-1116.9), and having a treatment adherence monitor (AOR: 17.25; 95% CI, 6.30-47.21). Fear of a negative outcome of disclosure such as divorce or blame were major barriers to disclosure. Conclusion: The rate of HIV positive status disclosure among sexual partners in the seven (7) study sites in the Central Region of Ghana is 41.2%. Recommendation: Special emphasis should be placed on disclosure counselling after receiving HIV positive result. This should be an effective, on-going practice which should result in behavioural change towards disclosure. Also advocacy needs to be scaled up to increase condom use.en_US
dc.format.extentxii, 70p. : ill.
dc.identifier.urihttp://197.255.68.203/handle/123456789/8303
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Ghanaen_US
dc.rights.holderUniversity of Ghana
dc.subjectHIV Positive Status
dc.subjectSexual Partner(S)
dc.subjectHIV Prevention
dc.subjectAntiretroviral Clinics
dc.subjectHIV/AIDS
dc.titleBarriers to Disclosure of HIV Positive Status to Sexual Partner(S) In the Central Region, Ghana.en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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