"I should learn from her": Multisystem resilience among mothers living with HIV and their children

Abstract

The U.S. HIV epidemic disproportionately impacts Black/African American and Latina women. Many women living with HIV are primary caregivers for children, often navigating the unique stressors of parenting while managing their chronic illness. Though much research focuses on challenges facing this population, a strengths-based approach may highlight important avenues for prevention and intervention. Guided by the family stress model and multilevel resilience frameworks, this qualitative study explored factors promoting well-being and parent-child relationship-based resilience at the individual, family, and community levels. The sample included 14 mothers or other female caregivers living with HIV (MLH) and 13 children aged 9-16 (n = 27; 50% Latine, 42.9% Black/African American, 7.1% multiracial). Individual interviews were conducted with mothers and children following participation in a larger randomized controlled trial focused on HIV disclosure. Four broad themes and several subthemes emerged, including individual resilience of each child and parent, shared resilience within the dyad, and community resources and sources of resilience. Examples of resilience factors included children's internal assets (e.g., optimism), mothers' ability to cope with their illness, parent-child closeness, positive adaptation to HIV disclosure, and access to community supports. Notably, factors that contributed to shared resilience were identified as particularly unique and impactful in this population. Further, parents and children highlighted children's emotional and behavioral stability following disclosure as an important indicator of resilience. Overall, MLH and their children offered insight into the cultivation of both individual and shared resilience experiences, highlighting potential targets for strengths-based family interventions that further bolster these resilience processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).