Experiences of South African caregivers disclosing to their children living with HIV: Qualitative investigations.

Awareness of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status improves health outcomes in children living with HIV, yet caregivers often delay disclosure. This qualitative investigation explored, through observation, how 30 caregivers responded to a HIV Disclosure study conducted between 2017 and 2020 at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Soweto, South Africa. Caregivers were assisted in disclosing to their children, aged 7-13 years; followed by a sub-sample of caregivers providing in-depth interviews to elaborate on findings.1) Barriers to disclosure included: caregivers being ill equipped, the fear of negative consequences and children considered lacking emotional or cognitive readiness. 2) Deflecting diagnosis from their children and the need for medication, motivated caregivers to disclosure. 3) Apprehension was evident during disclosure; however, overall disclosure was a positive experience with the support of the healthcare providers. These results highlight the significant role healthcare providers' play in supporting caregivers through the disclosure process.

Children's Positive and Negative Emotional Responses to an HIV Disclosure Study in South Africa.

The benefits of HIV status disclosure to children is widely cited. However, few studies have reported how children respond to the process in a longitudinal fashion. This paper describes children's responses, as documented by healthcare providers (HCPs), during a longitudinal disclosure study conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa. Two HCPs facilitating disclosure recorded observations of 30 participating children (60% female), aged 7-13 years. Participants attended an average of six disclosure counseling sessions over 78 weeks. Observations documented by HCPs included the child's behavior and expressed emotions during the disclosure counseling sessions. The data was analyzed using content analysis. Mixed responses were observed in children who received full disclosure (27/30), with more children responding with strong negative emotions (16/27). However, 10 of those responded well to reassurance, and emotionally improved over subsequent sessions. Improvements were also observed in the communication and relationship between caregivers and children (17/30). Although most children understood the disclosure content (17/30), many were avoidant of the topic of HIV (16/30). With the understanding of the complex range of emotions elicited by HIV disclosure, we can better prepare HCPs on what to anticipate and train caregivers to further manage negative responses post-disclosure. This in turn may lead to more positive experiences of disclosure and the child's healthy acceptance of their HIV status.

Impact of Disclosure over Time on the Emotional Well-Being of Children with Perinatally Acquired HIV Infection in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the disclosure process in children with perinatally acquired HIV infection (PHIV+) and its impact on their emotional well-being and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa. METHODS: This prospective cohort study followed PHIV+ children aged 7 to 13 years attending counseling over 18 months. Standardized disclosure tools were used by a counselor with both child and caregiver present. Assessments included the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS), Child Depression Inventory (CDI), and Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Adherence to ART was recorded through pharmacy pill returns. Changes over time and their differences from baseline were assessed by linear mixed models. RESULTS: Thirty children with median age 10 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 9.0-11.0) were enrolled. The median time to disclosure was 48 weeks (IQR: 48.0-54.6). There was a significant decrease from baseline (p < 0.0001) and over time (p = 0.0037) in the total CDI score. A positive trend in the changes from baseline and over time was observed for internalizing (p values < 0.0001) and externalizing (p values < 0.0001) CBCL scales and Total Anxiety score of the RCMAS (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0002, respectively). Only the Defensiveness median T-score increased during the follow-up (p = 0.004) and in the change from baseline (p = 0.0005). The adaptive (p = 0.0092) and maladaptive (p < 0.0001) scores of the VABS showed a decrease from baseline. ART adherence remained high throughout this study. CONCLUSION: Disclosure does not worsen the child's emotional well-being and adherence to ART over time. This study adds to research from low- and middle-income countries to alleviate fears that disclosure may have an adverse outcome on children with PHIV+.

IMPAACT 2016: Operationalizing HIV Intervention Adaptations to Inform the Science and Outcomes of Implementation.

Introduction: Uptake of evidence-based interventions for adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYA-LWH) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is complex, and cultural differences necessitate local adaptations to enhance effective implementation. Few models exist to guide intervention tailoring, yet operationalizing strategies is critical to inform science and implementation outcomes, namely acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, and sustainability. This paper describes operationalizing the ADAPT-ITT framework applied to a manualized trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (TI-CBT) intervention addressing mental and sexual health for AYA-LWH in SSA in preparation for a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods: Phase 1 of the RCT focused on operationalizing ADAPT-ITT steps 3-7 to tailor the intervention for use in eight sites across Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Well-defined processes were developed to supplement the general guidelines for each step to provide clear, consistent direction on how to prepare and conduct each step, including documenting, assessing, and determining adaptations, while maintaining intervention fidelity. The processes provided efficient standardized step-by-step progression designed for future replication. All sites participated in Phase 1 using the created tools and strategies to translate and present the TI-CBT to community stakeholders for feedback informing local adaptations. Results: The research team developed and operationalized materials guiding adaptation. A translation review process verified local adaptability, maintained core concepts, and revealed differing interpretations of words, idioms, and culturally acceptable activities. Strategically designed tools comprised of feedback and translation verification forms resulted in meticulous management of adaptations. Robust collaborations between investigators, research managers, site personnel, and topical experts maximized multidisciplinary expertise, resulting in ~10-15 personnel per site facilitating, collecting, assessing, and integrating local feedback. Processes and tools operationalized in steps 3-7 effectively addressed implementation outcomes during community engagements (n = 108), focus groups (n = 5-8 AYA-LWH and caregivers per group), and strategic training of youth leaders. Discussion: This paper offers a novel generalizable approach using well-defined processes to guide intervention adaptation building on the ADAPT-ITT framework. The processes strengthen the science of implementation and provide much-needed specificity in adaptation steps to optimize and sustain real-world impact and help researchers and community stakeholders maximize existing infrastructure, culture, and resources to inform implementation strategies.

Mental Health of Adolescents in the Era of Antiretroviral Therapy: Is There a Difference Between HIV-Infected and Uninfected Youth in South Africa?

PURPOSE: The HIV infection may predispose perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) adolescents to mental illness. Adolescence can be when mental health disorders manifest for the first time. This study investigates the prevalence of mental illness in PHIV+ and HIV-uninfected adolescents in Soweto. METHODS: PHIV+ adolescents aged 13-19 years were recruited from an antiretroviral treatment program, whereas HIV-uninfected controls were recruited from the community in Soweto, South Africa, between October 2016 and April 2017. The Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents, Child Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist, and Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory tools assessed components of mental health. Sociodemographic and virological data were collected. Risk factors for suicidality were determined by logistic regression. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-two adolescents (50% PHIV+, 61% female) with a median age of 16 years (interquartile range: 15-18) were enrolled. A depressive disorder was found in 14% of all adolescents, 35% had suicidal ideation, and 22% had PTSD symptoms. Risk factors for suicidality were female gender, HIV-positive status, repeating a grade at school and a history of physical and/or sexual abuse. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show a high prevalence of suicidality and PTSD symptoms in adolescents from South Africa and highlight the importance of screening for mental illness, specifically suicidality, in HIV-positive adolescents. Adolescents from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background appear to be at risk, posing a challenge because of the lack of health seeking behaviors in young people and lack of adolescent-friendly health facilities. Interventions specific to adolescents in low- and middle-income countries are needed to improve emotional and psychiatric symptoms and functioning.

Depression and Post Traumatic Stress amongst female sex workers in Soweto, South Africa: A cross sectional, respondent driven sample.

BACKGROUND: Sex workers in South Africa are exposed to high levels of violence, yet little is known about their mental health needs. This study aims to understanding the prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their risk factors amongst female sex worker (FSWs) in Soweto, South Africa. METHODS: A cross-sectional, respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey enrolled 508 FSWs. Raw and RDS adjusted data were analyzed using a chi-squared test of association and multinomial regression for risk factors associated with depression and PTSD. FINDINGS: Symptoms of severe depression were prevalent amongst 68.7%, PTSD was 39.6%, and 32.7% suffered from comorbid PTSD and depression. Experiencing ≥3 kinds of violence increased the likelihood of comorbidity (RRR4.11, 95% CI 1.52-11.12,p = 0.005). Internalised stigma increased the likelihood of one mental health condition (RRR1.25, 95% CI 1.10-1.42,p = 0.001), higher self-esteem was associated with independent (RRR1.14, 95% CI 1.05-1.25,p = 0.002) and comorbid conditions (RRR1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.27,p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the sizable burden of treatable mental health conditions among FSWs in Soweto. This was driven by multiple exposures to violence, sex work related discrimination and overall moderate levels of self-esteem masking defence mechanisms. This suggests the urgent need to design and integrate services geared to the mental health needs for this population.