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. 2022 Mar;27(4):936-945.
doi: 10.1177/1359105320982042. Epub 2020 Dec 31.

Depression symptoms, HIV testing, linkage to ART, and viral suppression among women in a high HIV burden district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A cross-sectional household study

Kaymarlin Govender  1 , Dick Durevall  2 , Richard G Cowden  3 , Sean Beckett  1 , Ayesha Bm Kharsany  1 , Lara Lewis  1 , Gavin George  1 , Cherie Cawood  4 , David Khanyile  4
Affiliations

Depression symptoms, HIV testing, linkage to ART, and viral suppression among women in a high HIV burden district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A cross-sectional household study

Kaymarlin Govender et al. J Health Psychol. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Achieving the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets by 2020 is contingent on identifying and addressing mental health challenges that may affect HIV testing and treatment-related behaviors. This study is based on survey data from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2014-2015). HIV positive women who reported higher depression scores had a lower odds of having tested previously for HIV (15-25 years: AOR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.83, 0.98]; 26-49 years: AOR = 0.90, 95% CI [0.84, 0.96]). Because HIV testing behavior represents a gateway to treatment, the findings suggest mental health may be one challenge to attaining the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets.

Keywords: 90-90-90; Depression; HIV care cascade; HIV/AIDS; Mental health; UNAIDS fast track.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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