Project Title: SYV (Sauti ya Vijana): A mental Health Intervention To improve HIV Outcomes in Tanzania Youth
Project Description: Young people living with HIV (YPLWH, 10-24 years of age) are a growing population that experience unique mental health challenges that may compromise their HIV care. Despite the clear need, few evidence-based mental health interventions exist to address the difficulties faced by this important population. The qoal of our research is to provide a developmentally appropriate, evidence-based mental health intervention that effectively helps YPLWH cope with life challenges, instill hope for the future, and find... Young people living with HIV (YPLWH, 10-24 years of age) are a growing population that experience unique mental health challenges that may compromise their HIV care. Despite the clear need, few evidence-based mental health interventions exist to address the difficulties faced by this important population. The qoal of our research is to provide a developmentally appropriate, evidence-based mental health intervention that effectively helps YPLWH cope with life challenges, instill hope for the future, and find motivation to effectively take their antiretroviral therapy medication leading to improved HIV outcomes. Sauti ya Vijana (SYV, The Voice of Youth), is a novel and innovative groupbased mental health and life skills intervention designed with and for Tanzanian YPLWH to address the mental health and life challenges they have described in our prior research. The intervention consists of 10 group sessions (two joint sessions with caregivers or a supportive adult) and two individual sessions delivered by trained young adults living with HIV who have successfully transitioned to the adult clinic using a task sharing model that builds local capacity while overcoming the critical shortage of mental health professionals in this setting. SYV incorporates components of Trauma Informed-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, and Motivational Interviewing that during this critical neurodevelopmental period, when foundations of self and social regulation are realized, may help to prevent or dramatically reduce severity of mental health symptoms.
Principal Investigator : Getrude Joseph Mollel
Department Name :
Time frame: (2021-04-01) - (2026-01-31)
Nationa Institutes of Health (Prime)
External Collaborating Partners
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