Abstract
The number of women newly infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to rise. Women living with HIV or the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are often mothers who deal with the unenviable task of balancing the stigma and physical needs of illness with the needs of their families and, in particular, their children (DeMarco, Johnsen, Fukuda, & Deffenbaugh, 2001). This article addresses both the communication style and subsequent concept identified in women living with HIV/AIDS called "silencing the self," and the clinical implications for pediatric nurses who support and offer family-centered care to their patients. Mothers living with HIV/AIDS, often view the needs of the children primary as they deal with the trajectory of their own illness. In doing this, they effectively "silence" their own needs and may actually put their own psychosocial and physical needs in abeyance. It is critical that nurses in pediatric practice consider how to tangibly assess, refer, and educate mothers who silence their own needs in the process of providing care for their children.