| This study examined a set of demographic and psychological variables (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, adjustment, and age) in predicting adherence to a program of treatment for children infected with HIV. Fifty-four HIV-infected children between the ages of 9 months and 12 years who were followed at the University of Maryland's Pediatric AIDS Care and Evaluation Program (PACE) were recruited for this study. Participants utilized either the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) or pill boxes to monitor adherence to medication regimens. Children and caregivers completed several psychological measures, four of which were utilized for this study: the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Correlational analyses revealed a significant relationship between children's adjustment and adherence to HAART, as well as children's internalizing symptoms and adherence to HAART. Additionally, three demographic variables were significantly correlated with adherence to HAART: race, socioeconomic status (SES), and gender (the latter of which bordered on statistical significance). Specifically, higher SES, Caucasian ethnicity, and female gender were associated with better adherence to HAART. However, when analyzing SES as a covariate of adherence, Caucasian ethnicity was no longer associated with better adherence. Similarly, when analyzing CBCL Total T-scores as a covariate of adherence, female gender was no longer significantly associated with better adherence to HAART. |
