PMID- 35363163 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20220405 LR - 20230103 IS - 1536-5964 (Electronic) IS - 0025-7974 (Print) IS - 0025-7974 (Linking) VI - 101 IP - 7 DP - 2022 Feb 18 TI - A group-based mental health intervention for Tanzanian youth living with HIV: Secondary analysis of a pilot trial. PG - e28693 LID - 10.1097/MD.0000000000028693 [doi] LID - e28693 AB - BACKGROUND: Youth living with human immunodeficiency virus (YLWH) are vulnerable to incomplete adherence to antiretroviral therapy in the context of stigma, decreased hope for future, and mental health challenges. Despite these challenges, few mental health interventions have been developed to support YLWH. Previous randomized results from the Sauti ya Vijana (SYV; "The Voice of Youth") mental health intervention were indicative of the intervention's benefits in promoting virologic suppression. METHODS: SYV is a group-based mental health and life skills intervention (pilot, individually randomized group treatment trial) developed alongside YLWH. SYV was comprised of 10, 90-minute sessions based on evidence-based treatment models designed to improve coping, social support, and hope for future as a pathway to improved adherence and virologic suppression. At baseline, YLWH 12 to 24 years of age were randomized to SYV or standard of care. Participants included in this secondary analysis were enrolled in SYV's crossover waves due to either being randomized to standard of care or inability to attend an earlier group, and therefore delayed intervention exposure. Measured outcomes included self-reported mental health measures, self-reported human immunodeficiency virus measures (stigma and adherence), and human immunodeficiency virus ribonucleic acid. Data was collected at baseline, preintervention, and postintervention timepoints. Participants were included if they attended a crossover wave and had data at all 3 timepoints. RESULTS: Twenty-one crossover participants met inclusion criteria. Mean scores of self-reported mental health questionnaires were in an asymptomatic range both pre- and postintervention. Viral suppression was N = 15 (71%) preintervention compared to N = 17 (81%) postintervention. The participants who became virologically suppressed had no change in antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample size, findings from this study demonstrate that mental wellbeing may be an important pathway to improved HIV outcomes for YLWH. The same trend toward virologic suppression pre- to postintervention was demonstrated in the randomized pilot trial and suggests that SYV holds promise to improve HIV outcomes. Data from this analysis support the fully powered trial that is now underway. CI - Copyright (c) 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. FAU - Hosaka, Kalei R J AU - Hosaka KRJ AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-9075-7343 AD - John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI. FAU - Mmbaga, Blandina T AU - Mmbaga BT AD - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania. AD - Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Moshi, Tanzania. AD - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi Tanzania. AD - Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. FAU - Shayo, Aisa M AU - Shayo AM AD - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania. AD - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi Tanzania. FAU - Gallis, John A AU - Gallis JA AD - Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. AD - Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC. FAU - Turner, Elizabeth L AU - Turner EL AD - Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. AD - Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC. FAU - O'Donnell, Karen E AU - O'Donnell KE AD - Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, Duke University, Durham, NC. AD - Center for Child and Family Health, Durham, NC. FAU - Cunningham, Coleen K AU - Cunningham CK AD - University of California, Irvine, Department of Pediatrics, Irvine, CA. FAU - Boshe, Judith AU - Boshe J AD - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania. AD - Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi Tanzania. FAU - Dow, Dorothy E AU - Dow DE AD - Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. AD - Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. LA - eng GR - K01 TW009985/TW/FIC NIH HHS/United States GR - D43 TW009337/TW/FIC NIH HHS/United States GR - K01 TW-009985/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States GR - UL1 TR002553/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States GR - UL1TR002553/NH/NIH HHS/United States GR - P30 AI064518/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States PT - Journal Article PT - Randomized Controlled Trial PL - United States TA - Medicine (Baltimore) JT - Medicine JID - 2985248R SB - IM MH - Adolescent MH - *HIV Infections/drug therapy/psychology MH - Humans MH - *Mental Health MH - Pilot Projects MH - Social Stigma MH - Tanzania PMC - PMC9282032 COIS- The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. EDAT- 2022/04/02 06:00 MHDA- 2022/04/06 06:00 PMCR- 2022/02/18 CRDT- 2022/04/01 12:21 PHST- 2021/08/23 00:00 [received] PHST- 2022/01/07 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2022/04/01 12:21 [entrez] PHST- 2022/04/02 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2022/04/06 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2022/02/18 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - 00005792-202202180-00005 [pii] AID - MD-D-21-05762 [pii] AID - 10.1097/MD.0000000000028693 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Feb 18;101(7):e28693. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000028693.