A non-specialist depression care pathway for adolescents living with HIV
and transitioning into adult care in Peru: a nested pilot study
Abstract
Adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) are disproportionally impacted by
depression and experience worse HIV outcomes compared to other age
groups. Integrating depression care with HIV care for ALWH during
transition to adult care—an especially crucial time when adolescents
frequently disengage from HIV care—holds promise as a strategy for
supporting antiretroviral adherence among ALWH, particularly in low- and
middle-income countries where >90% of people with HIV
live.
In this brief article, we describe a small pilot study of a simple
depression care pathway with psychological first aid delivered by
non-mental health specialists for Peruvian ALWH transitioning to adult
care. Though small, this is the first study to report on depression
symptom prevalence among adolescents living with HIV in Peru and pilot
test a depression care pathway that could inform future integration of
mental health services with HIV care in Peru.