Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the HIV sero-status disclosure behavior of infected individuals in Enugu State Nigeria and to ascertain whether this is related to their quality of life. Respondents were adults living with HIV/AIDS who were residing in Enugu State Nigeria and who were recruited through snowball sampling process involving support groups registered with the Enugu State Agency for AIDS Control (ENSACA). The study had 474 valid responses of which 41.5% are males and 58.5% are females. 39.7% are married,38.6% are single and only 34% are in full time employment. About 82% of respondents have had at least secondary level education. Findings show that only 61% of respondents have revealed their diagnosis to someone other than an HIV infected person; and a much smaller proportion (26%) have revealed publicly mainly through public events like World AIDS day,or church worship services (48%), the radio (27%) or the Television (12%). Furthermore,majority of respondents revealed their status within the first two years of diagnosis with mothers and sisters being the most preferred targets to be entrusted with such intimate information. Analysis also revealed that disclosure is not affected by sex and income of respondent but by marital status and use of HIV drugs. Disclosing HIV status is also positively associated with better quality of life and mental health of respondents but negatively related to stress perception.
