‘Everyone has a secret they keep close to their hearts’: challenges faced by adolescents living with HIV infection at the Kenyan coast

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Judith Tumaini Dzombo¹  Khamis Katana¹  Amin S. Hassan¹  Joseph K Gona¹  Grace Bomu¹  Amina Abubakar²  Charles R. Newton³  Fons J. R. Van de Vijver⁴  Ronald Fischer⁵ 

[1] Centre for Geographic Medicine (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya;Centre for Geographic Medicine (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya;Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands;Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK;Centre for Geographic Medicine (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya;University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands;North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa;University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia;Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand;Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark;

关键词: HIV;    Adolescents;    In-depth interviews;    Kenya;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-016-2854-y

 received in 2015-04-04, accepted in 2016-02-10,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe upsurge in the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in the survival of vertically acquired HIV infected children, many of whom are currently living into adolescence and early adulthood. However little if anything is known of the lived experiences and the challenges faced by HIV positive adolescents in the African context. We set out to investigate psychosocial challenges faced by HIV infected adolescents on the Kenyan coast.MethodsA total of 44 participants (12 HIV-infected adolescents, 7 HIV uninfected adolescents, and 25 key informants) took part in this qualitative study, using individually administered in-depth interviews. A framework approach was used to analyze the data using NVIVO software.ResultsWe observed that the challenges faced by adolescents in rural Kenya could be placed into six major themes: poverty, poor mental and physical health, the lack of a school system that is responsive to their needs, challenges in how to disclose to peers and family members, high levels of stigma in its various forms, and challenges of medical adherence leading to the need for close monitoring.ConclusionIn this African community, vertically acquired HIV-infected adolescents face a complex set of social, economic and medical challenges. Our study points to the urgent need to develop multisectorial intervention support programmes to fully address these challenges.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Abubakar et al. 2016