A Study On Development Of Social Adaptiveness In Children Of Parents With AIDS/HIV

Children gradually generate mental adaptiveness within the interaction between the individual and the environment. They gain certain coping approaches through the process in order to form unique social adaptiveness. However, with the extensive broken-out of the AIDS, children are greatly affected by it, especially those of parents with AIDS/HIV. They have to face with something such as the attack of losing their parents, extreme poverty, pressure of being discriminated and change of their protogenous family, which lead to children's psycho-social problems and maladaptiveness.The purpose of the research is to measure the development of social adaptiveness in children of parents with AIDS/HIV. In elementary and junior middle school of AIDS-infected area, 105 children of parents with AIDS/HIV, together with 159 other local children of parents without AIDS/HIV participated in this study. SAS-SSS was selected as a main measurement to get data of the development of those children. Individual interviews of children were administered to collect data to reveal the related factors.The results demonstrate as follows:a) There is no significant difference in social adaptiveness among the children in junior middle school in the area. There is a marginal difference between those two kinds of children in factor ability.b) Gender, family factors and social economic status show no difference on children's development of social adaptiveness. Marks and peer relationship have main effect on dependent variables.c) Self-esteem levels, negative coping approaches, life events and family function have great effect on the development of social adaptiveness.It can be seen that offering children with appropriate supportive system may help them release the effect brought by the illness and develop their social adaptiveness.