Group-based interventions have the potential to address HIV-related stigma among adolescents living with the virus, finds a recent study from researchers at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and Makerere University in Uganda.
HIV stigma is a major barrier to all aspects of the HIV care continuum. However, few HIV stigma reduction interventions exist, especially those targeting adolescents. To address these gaps, a research group led by Proscovia Nabunya, an assistant professor at the Brown School, pilot tested the Suubi4Stigma cluster randomized clinical trial to address stigma and improve treatment adherence among adolescents with HIV in Uganda.
The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recruited 89 adolescent-caregiver pairs from nine HIV health clinics.
The findings, published in the AIDS and Behavior journal, indicate that the study was highly feasible and acceptable to both adolescents and their caregivers, with a retention rate of 94%. Across study arms, session attendance and fidelity of the interventions was high, exceeding 85%, and participants rated highly their satisfaction with the interventions.
Read more on the Brown School website.
