Knowledge of Maternal HIV/AIDS and Child Adjustment: The Moderating Role of Children’s Relationships with their Mothers

The current study examined whether child-reported maternal warmth and support moderated the association between knowledge of maternal illness and child psychosocial adjustment among 86 low-income, African American mothers with HIV/AIDS and their non-infected children. Mother–child relationship quality moderated the association between children’s knowledge of maternal HIV/AIDS and children’s externalizing, but not internalizing, difficulties. Consistent with the stress-buffering hypothesis, a warm and supportive mother–child relationship afforded a more robust buffer against externalizing difficulties for children who knew of their mother’s illness than for children who did not. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.