Mental Health Interventions for Adolescents Living with HIV
Summary
Adolescents living with HIV experience disproportionately high rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and suicidality compared with their uninfected peers. These challenges are driven by the complexities of chronic illness management during a critical developmental period, social stigma, fears around disclosure and the demands of lifelong antiretroviral therapy. Mental health interventions for this group span individual, group and family approaches and are increasingly integrated into routine HIV care. Core strategies include psychoeducation, problem-solving therapy and cognitive-behavioural techniques aimed at reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms, promoting adherence and strengthening coping skills. Family-centred programmes engage caregivers to improve communication, support and resilience, while peer-group and community models foster social connectedness and reduce isolation. Digital tools and stepped-care frameworks offer scalable means to tailor intensity to symptom severity. Interventions are most effective when culturally adapted, address internalised stigma and leverage existing health-care structures. Success is measured not only by symptom reduction but by sustained treatment adherence, retention in care and enhanced quality of life. As the global HIV response shifts towards holistic adolescent health, evidence is converging around preventive and promotive interventions that build positive mental health, rather than focusing solely on illness mitigation.
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Mental Health Interventions for Adolescents Living with HIV publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in mental health interventions for adolescents living with hiv across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Psychoeducation: Provision of information and skills training about mental health conditions and coping strategies.
Problem-solving therapy: A structured approach teaching individuals to identify problems, generate solutions and implement action plans.
Adherence: The extent to which a patient’s behaviour corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health-care provider, particularly regarding medication.
Internalised stigma: The personal acceptance of negative beliefs and feelings towards oneself due to HIV status.
Psychosocial intervention: A therapeutic approach addressing both psychological and social factors to improve mental health and well-being.
References
- The effectiveness of psychoeducation and problem-solving on depression and treatment adherence in adolescents living with HIV in Botswana: an exploratory clinical trial. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (2023).
- Prevalence of mental disorders among young people living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health (2024).
- Resilience in perinatal HIV+ adolescents in South Africa. AIDS Care (2016).
- A Qualitative Exploration of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Contexts of HIV-Positive Adolescents in Tanzania. PLOS ONE (2016).
- Preventing mental health conditions in adolescents living with HIV: an urgent need for evidence. Journal of the International AIDS Society (2020).
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