Lessons from the Field Mental Health of Primary Caregivers for Children and Adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Cuba

An HIV diagnosis, like that of any another chronic illness, alters family dynamics. Although the whole family is affected by the illness, in most cases only one person assumes the sick person’s care. This is usually a family member who must adapt to the stresses of caregiver demands.[3,4] Many families have experience in caring for a chronically ill member, in which the primary caregiver is usually healthy. Nonetheless, HIV/AIDS presents a new challenge for family dynamics because when the infection is by mother-to-child transmission, the mother also is infected, requiring a different approach to the process of care.