A systematic review of the literature on psychosocial support programs for adolescents and young women living with HIV and AIDS that affect disclosure of HIV status and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa Open Access

Abstract

Introduction: Globally 2.0 million adolescents in the age group 10 to 19 years were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 2014. 1.6 million Adolescents living with HIV were from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In the same year, 2014, 620,000 young people were newly diagnosed in the age group 15 to 24. Of this group 220,000 adolescents were of age group 15 to 19. This systematic review aimed to identify psychosocial support programs for adolescents and young women living with HIV and AIDS that affect disclosure of HIV status and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in Sub-Saharan.

Method: This systematic review identified 10 articles that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the years 2012 to 2015 by systematically searching from PubMed, Embase, and Google scholar databases.

Results: To meet the needs of adolescents and young women living with HIV and AIDS, the review indicates that type of communication, trust, and improved self-confidence are key elements when designing and implementing psychosocial interventions. In addition adolescents or young women,caregivers and health workers are the three critical players if these programs are to be a success.

Conclusion: Rigorous evaluations of the interventions are required to isolate best practices and assess cost-effective interventions with maximum impact on adolescents and young women affected by HIV and AIDS. A dearth of information was an obstacle in generalizing the interventions for the whole Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Table of Contents

Chapter one: Introduction 3

Background information and rationale of the study 5

Statement of the Problem 8

Objectives of the study 9

Chapter Two-Methods 15

Literature search strategy 16

Chapter 3: Results 19

Description of studies 19

Table 1: Description of the articles included in the systematic review about psychosocial interventions/activities 20

Table 2: Studies included in the review targeting objectives 2 to 4 23

Chapter 4: Discussion, recommendations, and conclusions 52

Strengths and limitations 54

Recommendations 55

References 58

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Health Sciences, Mental Health Health Sciences, Nursing
Keyword	Antiretroviral treatment adolescents/youngwomen Sub-Saharan Africa Adherence Programs HIV/AIDS Disclosure Psychosocial support
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Blevins, John, Emory University
Committee Members	Rochat, Roger, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs

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