Open AccessRelationship Between Mental Health and HIV Transmission Knowledge and Prevention Attitudes Among Adolescents Living with HIV: Lessons from Suubi + Adherence Cluster Randomized Study in Southern Uganda
Author(s) -
William Byansi,
Rachel Brathwaite,
Madison Calvert,
Proscovia Nabunya,
Ozge Sensoy Bahar,
Christopher Damulira,
Flavia Namuwonge,
Mary M. McKay,
Claude A. Mellins,
Fred M. Ssewamala
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aids and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.994
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1573-3254
pISSN - 1090-7165
DOI - 10.1007/s10461-021-03243-7
Subject(s) - health psychology , public health , mental health , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , cluster (spacecraft) , environmental health , transmission (telecommunications) , psychology , medicine , clinical psychology , family medicine , psychiatry , nursing , electrical engineering , engineering , computer science , programming language
We assessed the effect of depression, hopelessness, and self-concept on HIV prevention attitudes and knowledge about infection, transmission and sexual risk behavior among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda. Utilizing longitudinal data from 635 adolescents living with HIV, multiple ordinary least square regression was used to evaluate associations between the three indicators of mental health functioning at baseline and HIV knowledge and prevention attitudes at 12-months follow-up. We found that depression (β = - 0.17; 95% CI - 0.31, - 0.04) and hopelessness (β = - 0.16; 95% CI - 0.28, - 0.04) scores at baseline were associated with a 0.17 and 0.16 average reduction in HIV prevention attitudes and HIV knowledge scores, respectively at 12-months follow-up. However, self-concept was not significantly associated with HIV knowledge or prevention attitudes. Adolescents living with HIV with greater levels of hopelessness are at increased risk of having limited HIV knowledge while those with greater symptoms of depression had less favorable HIV prevention attitudes.