With antiretroviral therapy (ART) readily available, many perinatally infected youth are reaching adolescents. This qualitative study in Uganda asked some important questions about the psychosocial support that adolescents living with HIV receive and the impact that it has on their mental health and HIV treatment outcomes. Youth reported adversities such as negative community perceptions (perceived aggression, presumed early mortality), HIV stigma (enacted and internalized), vulnerability factors (loss of parents, poverty), and health challenges (depression, ART non-adherence). Protective factors that were identified included counselling, family and religious support, and timely serostatus disclosure.
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