Task-sharing and piloting WHO group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G) for adolescent mothers living with HIV in Nairobi primary health care centers: a process paper

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a sustainable structure to deliver the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-G) for Postpartum Adolescent (PPA) mothers living with HIV in Nairobi. It documents the process of mobilizing, training, and engaging Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Key Informants (health facility staff) involved in the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) in two Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities from informal settlements of Nairobi County. Mainly reporting experiences from the training process utilizing focused group discussions and in-depth interviews involving participants, IPT-G therapists and supervisors we present process findings and acceptability of our IPT-G implementation.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV stigma
• postpartum adolescents
• depression
• group interpersonal psychotherapy
• prevention of mother- to- child transmission
• social support
• task sharing
• task shifting
• depression

Acknowledgments

Our thanks are due to Health center in-charge from each study site (Kangemi and Kariobangi), Prof. Ruth Nduati of Department of M.Med (Pediatrics), University of Nairobi-Chair of the Advisory Group and Technical Advisor in this study, Dr. Alfred Osoti, Lecturer, Department of Obstetrics /Gynaecology, University of Nairobi (member), Dr. Beatrice Amugune, Senior Lecturer Department of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi (member).Vincent Nyongesa, who was the research assistant for this study. The protocol was reviewed and approved by Kenyatta National Hospital-University of Nairobi Ethics and Research Committee (Approval No. P97/02/2018).Sahiba Turgesen for her editorial assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).