Abstract : This work assesses knowledge of the effects of AIDS on the economic and social relations and family solidarity of the individuals affected and analyzes data from a case study in the Ivory Coast. The AIDS epidemic in Africa has occurred in the context of family structures that are changing in response to urbanization and economic crisis, and the appearance of AIDS has accelerated the transformation. Apart from the demographic and economic consequences of AIDS, the network of social relations of persons with AIDS often undergoes significant modification. A multicenter study of the socioeconomic future of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS was conducted in the Ivory Coast, Burundi, and Haiti, three countries with high seroprevalence rates. 120 families with at least one child were followed in the Ivory Coast using a multidisciplinary approach. The households were found to undergo significant modification in the direction of family destructuring, which makes them more vulnerable economically and with regard to the management of daily needs and social life. Women and children were more severely affected by the disease. Women were more likely to be single parents with limited incomes. Widowhood or separation frequently left them in a precarious economic condition. Children suffered psychological problems resulting from the illness or death of their parents and were exposed to the problems of the adults with whom they lived. The living conditions of children orphaned by AIDS or living with surviving seropositive parents were often difficult. Family contributions typically decreased over time. Family assistance still represents a substantial source of help for the ill, but the conviction that the family can resolve all problems is beginning to weaken. The creation of support organizations for AIDS patients and their families would assist them in coping with the effects of the disease.
Notes : French