Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in South Western Uganda

ABSTRACT

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are prone to depression, which can have detrimental effects including disease progression, poor treatment adherence and mortality. We aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their associated factors among ALHIV in Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among ALHIV (10–19 years) attending urban and rural clinics in Mbarara, Uganda between March and May 2017. Presence of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies’ Depression scale. We interviewed 336 adolescents with a median age of 13 years, 62% of whom were female. A third (37%) had disclosed their HIV/AIDS status and 13% were sexually active. Overall, 154 (∼46%, [95% CI: 40.5–51.2]) had depressive symptoms. On bivariate analysis, the odds of having depressive symptoms were higher among adolescents who were ≥ 15 years, had disclosed HIV status, traveled >30 min for routine care and had risky sexual practices. On multiple variable analysis, only travel time to the clinic of >30 min was independently associated with depressive symptoms (AOR = 1.6 [95% CI: 1.02–2.7]). With the high prevalence of depressive symptoms among ALHIV in Uganda, screening and prompt treatment of depression should be incorporated within their routine care.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• depressive symptoms
• HIV/AIDS
• Uganda

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the study participant and all the research assistants and data management team for their contribution to the study. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Damazo Kadengye http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7586-4928

Additional information

Funding

This publication was supported by the Fogarty International Center (National Institutes of Health [NIH] Common Fund, Office of Strategic Coordination, Office of the Director [OD/OSC/CF/NIH]; Office of AIDS Research, Office of the Director (OAR/NIH); National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH/NIH]; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [NINDS/NIH]) of the NIH under award number [D43 TW010128].