Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the extent to which three mental health measures (hopelessness,
depression, and poor self-concept) are improved through a family-based economic intervention
implemented among adolescents living with HIV in Uganda.
Methods
We used repeated measures from Suubi + Adherence, a large-scale 6-year (2012–2018) longitudinal randomized controlled trial. Bivariate
analyses were conducted to test for observable group differences between the intervention
and control conditions. Multilevel piecewise repeated measure mixed models were then
conducted to assess hypothesized time × intervention interaction in changes in hopelessness,
depression, and self-concept using participant-specific follow-up intervals.
Results
At 24-month postintervention initiation, adolescents in the intervention condition
reported a statistically significant lower hopelessness score than adolescents in
the control condition (4.79 vs. 5.56; p = .018; N = 358). At 36-month follow-up, the intervention condition reported a statistically
significant lower score on depression in the depression subgroup (N = 344) than the
control condition (4.94 vs. 5.81; p = .029).
Conclusions
The results indicate that family-based economic interventions such as Suubi + Adherence can effectively improve the mental health of adolescents living with HIV who evidenced
mental health challenges at baseline. Given the promising positive effects of these
interventions, at least in the short term, future studies should investigate strategies
to promote the sustainability of these mental health benefits.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 24, 2020
Accepted:
July 15,
2020
Received:
February 6,
2020
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: J.B. is a member of the board of directors and treasurer of MySafeRx Inc., a nonprofit scientific research organization. He receives no financial compensation from this organization.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institutes of Health, or the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
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