Abstract
Pre- and post-HIV test counseling has singular importance in adolescence, since it is a phase of great changes, and AIDS is an incurable chronic disease. In order to comprehend the perception of young people with AIDS diagnosed in adolescence regarding the counseling received upon testing, we conducted 39 in-depth interviews, with 23 in female patients and 16 male patients, and then analyzed the data with extensive reading, categorization and interpretation on a comprehensive basis. The results revealed that less than one third received pre-test counseling (30.8%), which often was limited to the explanation of the reason of the test, and 51.2% were counseled post-test. We found that most patients were unaccompanied when receiving the communication of their seropositivity, some of which were later informed by the adolescent's guardian. Some patients felt secure after counseling, realizing that the disease is something that would not change their lives, if they properly followed the guidelines. On the other hand, the feelings of desperation and suicide expressed by some of the patients may have been influenced by the lack of adequate counseling. We have concluded that, for the improved management of the epidemic, there is a need to enhance the communications of health professionals, especially those that are in primary care, pre-natal services, gynecology and family health strategy.
Key words
Adolescent; Confidentiality; AIDS serodiagnosis; Counseling; Chronic disease