J. Anitha Menon|Cris Glazebrook|Nicholas Campain|Mary Shilalukey Ngoma
Mental Health and Disclosure of HIV Status in Zambian Adolescents With HIV Infection
University of Zambia|University of Nottingham|University of Nottingham|University Teaching Hospital
examine emotional behavioural difficulties hiv positive zambian adolescents determine relationship disclosure hiv status mental healtha crosssectional surveyparticipants 127 hiv positive adolescents aged 11 15 years recruited clinics lusaka region mental health assessed using youth report version strengths difficulties questionnaire sdq caregivers completed parent sdq sixtytwo participants invited semistructured interview probed views attending peer support groupcompared british community sample participants increased mental health problems 21 particularly emotional symptoms 36 peer problems 71 majority children n 94 receiving antiretroviral arv treatment 48 children 378 hiv status disclosed hiv status disclosed younger p 0001 less likely receiving arv treatment p 0001 controlling factors also likely score abnormal range emotional difficulties subscale 263 95 ci 111 626 38 interviews transcribed content analysis showed 3 children opposed participation peergroup program majority 2338 expressing reasoned positive responses regardless disclosure statushigh rates emotional peer problems found sample disclosure hiv status negative effect mental health interventions promote disclosure could facilitate access emotional peer support