Citation

Anabwani-Richter F, Swanson T, Dlamini S, Katulege K, Daire C, Singhal G. Current Tropical Medicine Reports 2022; 9(4): 207-217.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022)

DOI

10.1007/s40475-022-00270-9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

PURPOSE of Review: The pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has resulted in millions of confirmed cases and likely more than six million deaths globally Worldometer (2022). We sought to understand secondary mental effects in adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) on the African continent caused by lockdowns, school closures, and other restriction measures for infection control. We reviewed the broader literature and conducted 86 retrospective chart reviews of mental health disorders of ALHIV and interventions utilized at a pediatric clinic in Eswatini. Recent Findings: ALHIVs are disproportionately affected by mental health disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated adverse mental health outcomes of adolescents on the African continent, especially for ALHIV. There have been many calls for researchers, clinicians, and governments to prioritize mental health in adolescents going forward. Summary: In pediatric clinics in Eswatini, Malawi, and Uganda, there were psychosocial measures in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic for ALHIV. After looking closely at a pediatric clinic in Eswatini, we found that many interventions were paused and new psychosocial interventions compatible with social distancing were instead utilized by clinicians. Even so, after multidisciplinary management comprising of interventions such as psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, referral to psychologists/psychiatrists, and enrollment in peer support groups, the PHQ-9 depressions scores of ALHIV during the COVID-19 significantly improved. We found that there is a need for age-specific standardized tools to measure depression in ALHIV. Furthermore, more research is needed on the effectiveness and scope of psychosocial interventions for ALHIV post-COVID-19 throughout Eswatini and the African continent. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent; human; mental health; COVID-19; Depression; female; male; Review; Adolescents; abdominal pain; Mental disorders; suicidal ideation; depression; prevalence; social support; anxiety; psychosis; Africa; education; suicide attempt; treatment outcome; drug abuse; posttraumatic stress disorder; major clinical study; retrospective study; diarrhea; cohort analysis; medical care; DSM-IV; electronic medical record; Human immunodeficiency virus infected patient; Patient Health Questionnaire 9; coronavirus disease 2019; Eswatini; Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV)