Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in South Western Uganda
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIDS care
Abstract
Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are prone to depression, which can have detrimental effects
including disease progression, poor treatment adherence and mortality. We aimed to determine
the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their associated factors among ALHIV in Uganda.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey among ALHIV (10–19 years) attending urban and rural
clinics in Mbarara, Uganda between March and May 2017. Presence of depressive symptoms was
assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies’ Depression scale. We interviewed 336
adolescents with a median age of 13 years, 62% of whom were female. A third (37%) had
disclosed their HIV/AIDS status and 13% were sexually active. Overall, 154 (∼46%, [95% CI: 40.5–
51.2]) had depressive symptoms. On bivariate analysis, the odds of having depressive symptoms
were higher among adolescents who were ≥ 15 years, had disclosed HIV status, traveled >30 min
for routine care and had risky sexual practices. On multiple variable analysis, only travel time to
the clinic of >30 min was independently associated with depressive symptoms (AOR = 1.6 [95%
CI: 1.02–2.7]). With the high prevalence of depressive symptoms among ALHIV in Uganda,
screening and prompt treatment of depression should be incorporated within their routine care.
Description
Keywords
Adolescents, depressive symptoms, HIV/AIDS, Uganda
Citation
Elizabeth Kemigisha, Brian Zanoni, Katharine Bruce, Ricardo Menjivar, Damazo Kadengye, Daniel Atwine & Godfrey Zari Rukundo (2019): Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in South Western Uganda, AIDS Care, DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2019.1566511