IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i22p7074-d1282003.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Structural, Familial, and Psychosocial Factors Affecting Long-Term Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence amongst Adolescents Living with Perinatally Acquired HIV in Limpopo, South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Rirhandzu Austice Mabasa

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, Executive Deans Office, University of Limpopo, Polokwane 0700, South Africa)

  • Sphiwe Madiba

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, Executive Deans Office, University of Limpopo, Polokwane 0700, South Africa)

  • Tebogo Maria Mothiba

    (Faculty of Health Sciences, Executive Deans Office, University of Limpopo, Polokwane 0700, South Africa)

Abstract

After more than two decades of the expansion of antiretroviral treatment (ART) in adolescents living with perinatal HIV (APHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa, there is still poorly sustained long-term adherence to ART due to multifactorial factors with the consequence of increased mortality and morbidity. There are little data available on the familial and structural factors which affect sustenance to long-term adherence to ART. A qualitative exploratory design was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 21 APHIV attending HIV care and management in the rural health facilities of Vhembe district in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Transcripts were translated verbatim into English, and data were analyzed using Tesch’s eight steps of qualitative data analysis. The sample consisted of APHIV 10–19 years old who were aware of their HIV status, and all had received ART for more than 5 years. They lived in extended, disrupted, grandparent- and child-headed households. They experienced food insecurities due to poverty or orphanhood, as well as living in disrupted households, which deterred them from long-term adherence. In addition, dependency on social support grants to sustain their livelihoods affected long-term adherence. APHIV had challenges with structural factors such as inconsistent clinic attendance, clashes between school activities and clinic appointments, and the lack of transport fare to the clinic, which affected adherence. Although APHIV were on one-pill fixed-dose ART, they were not able to sustain long-term adherence due to various familial, structural, and psychosocial challenges. In addition to institution-based interventions, there is a need for family, community-based, and multi-sectorial interventions to support long-term ART adherence among APHIV.

Suggested Citation

  • Rirhandzu Austice Mabasa & Sphiwe Madiba & Tebogo Maria Mothiba, 2023. "Structural, Familial, and Psychosocial Factors Affecting Long-Term Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence amongst Adolescents Living with Perinatally Acquired HIV in Limpopo, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(22), pages 1-12, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:22:p:7074-:d:1282003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/22/7074/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/22/7074/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mathildah Mokgatle & Sphiwe Madiba, 2023. "Community Perceptions of HIV Stigma, Discriminatory Attitudes, and Disclosure Concerns: A Health Facility-Based Study in Selected Health Districts of South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(14), pages 1-15, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.

      Corrections

      All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:22:p:7074-:d:1282003. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

      If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

      If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

      If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

      For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

      Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

      IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.