HIV-Related Stigma, Social Norms, and HIV Testing in Soweto and Vulindlela, South Africa: National Institutes of Mental Health Project Accept (HPTN 043)

<p>The prevalence of HIV infection is substantially higher in mentally ill individuals than in the general population. Despite this, HIV testing is not yet standard practice among the mentally ill population, and many mental health settings do not encourage HIV testing. This paper discusses provider-initiated HIV counselling and testing (PICT) and some of the ethical dilemmas associated with it, on the basis that PICT may be used to increase the number of mentally ill persons tested for HIV. The authors conclude that PICT should be promoted to all psychiatric admissions and mentally ill individuals receiving outpatient services, and that this is within the parameters of existing policies and legislations in South Africa.</p>

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Different Dimensions of HIV-Related Stigma May Have Opposite Effects on HIV Testing: Evidence Among Young Men and Women in South Africa

AIDS and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10461-013-0636-4 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 958-965 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Brendan Maughan-Brown ◽

Laura Nyblade

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Hiv Testing ◽

Young Men ◽

Men And Women ◽

Related Stigma ◽

Different Dimensions

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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

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105320982042 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 135910532098204

Author(s):

Kaymarlin Govender ◽

Dick Durevall ◽

Richard G Cowden ◽

Sean Beckett ◽

Ayesha BM Kharsany ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Hiv Testing ◽

Viral Suppression ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Odds ◽

Hiv Positive Women ◽

Kwazulu Natal

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.

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The Multilevel Relationships of HIV-Related Stigma to Child and Caregiver Mental Health among HIV-Affected Households in South Africa

American Journal of Community Psychology ◽

10.1002/ajcp.12280 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 63 (1-2) ◽

pp. 3-16

Author(s):

Leslie D. Williams ◽

J. Lawrence Aber ◽

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Related Stigma ◽

Caregiver Mental Health

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The Secret History method and the development of an ethos of care: Preparing the maternity environment for integrating mental health care in South Africa

Transcultural Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/1363461519844640 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (1) ◽

pp. 173-182 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Simone Honikman ◽

Sally Field ◽

Sara Cooper

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

South Africa ◽

Health Care ◽

Task Shifting ◽

Care Providers ◽

Middle Income ◽

Pedagogical Intervention ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Health Project ◽

Secret History

South Africa, like many low-and-middle-income countries, is integrating mental health services into routine Primary Health Care (PHC) through a task-shifting approach to reduce the gaps in treatment coverage. There is concern, however, that this approach will exacerbate nurses’ abuse of patients currently common within PHC in the country. To address this concern, the Perinatal Mental Health Project developed its Secret History method, a critical pedagogical intervention for care-providers working within maternity settings. This article describes the method’s theoretical underpinnings and practical application amongst nurses. Drawing on Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed and contrary to traditional nursing training in South Africa, the method creates a space for nurses to interrogate and reimagine nurse–patient relations. By introducing nurses to a counter ideology of empathic care, the method seeks to prepare the maternity environment for mental health task-shifting initiatives and ensure these initiatives are more democratic, responsive and humane.

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