Relationship between HIV-infected kids, caregivers crucial
February 6th, 2010 - 5:44 pm ICT by ANIWashington, February 6 (ANI): Scientists have stressed on the significance of the quality of care and the relationship between children and their caregivers.
Researchers sought to determine the effects of HIV infection and being raised in institutions on the development of infected and uninfected Ukrainian 4-year-olds.
Experts at Leiden University in the Netherlands found that the quality of the relationships between the children and their caregivers had a bigger impact on children’s physical growth and cognitive performance than the presence of the HIV infection or the quality of the physical environment.
Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, professor of child and family studies at Leiden University, and doctoral student Natasha Dobrova-Krol, one of the researchers, also found for both children with and without HIV, family care was better than institutional care.
Ijzendoorn said: “This study underscores efforts to strengthen the quality of children’s relationship with caregivers as important for children infected with HIV.
“Because HIV-infected children are the least-preferred candidates for adoption or foster care, many of them will remain in rather low-quality institutions. Renovating the premises and giving them toys and learning materials has become a popular form of intervention in Eastern Europe, and it is certainly valuable. But our study shows that interventions should focus on more stable and sensitive relationships between children and their caregivers.”
The study was published in the journal Child Development. (ANI)
- Starting HIV treatment early preserves immune function - Sep 29, 2010
- Why HIV-uninfected babies of mums with HIV are more prone to infections - Feb 09, 2011
- Patients with HIV infection at greater risk of developing heart failure - Apr 26, 2011
- US approves drug to prevent HIV infection - Jul 17, 2012
- Standard re-treatment regimen for TB 'failing' in developing world - Mar 16, 2011
- Holocaust memories still haunt survivors - Sep 21, 2010
- HIV may be risk factor in heart failure - Apr 26, 2011
- Breast milk antibodies help neutralize HIV - May 23, 2012
- NGO to campaign against discrimination to HIV students - Feb 16, 2012
- HIV-infected patients at higher risk for bone fractures - Mar 12, 2011
- HIV-infected men have increased presence, severity of coronary artery plaques - Jan 08, 2010
- Daughters of stroke recovery parent more prone to depression - Jun 07, 2010
- Aim to eliminate HIV-AIDS from South-East Asia by 2015: WHO (Dec 1 is World AIDS Day) - Nov 30, 2011
- 6-month drug regimen 'reduces HIV risk for breastfeeding infants' - Mar 03, 2011
- Zinc-antibiotic saves kids with pneumonia - Feb 08, 2012
Tags: 4 year olds, cognitive performance, doctoral student, eastern europe, effects of hiv, foster care, hiv, hiv infection, institutional care, interventions, journal child development, learning materials, leiden university, low quality, physical environment, preferred candidates, premises, quality institutions, quality of care, university in the netherlands