Abstract summary 

Depression is a common cause of morbidity globally and can impact adherence to medications, posing challenges to medication-based HIV prevention. The objectives of this work are to describe the frequency of depression symptoms in a cohort of 499 young women in Kampala, Uganda and to determine the association of depression symptoms with use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Mild or greater depression, assessed by the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), was experienced by 34% of participants at enrollment. Participants with mild depression symptoms tended to uptake PrEP, request PrEP refills, and adhere to PrEP with similar frequency to women with no/minimal signs of depression. These findings highlight opportunities to leverage existing HIV prevention programs to identify women who may benefit from mental health services and may not otherwise be screened. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03464266..

Authors & Co-authors:  Zia Yasaman Y Nambala Lydia L Stalter Randy M RM Muwonge Timothy R TR Ssebuliba Timothy T Nakyanzi Agnes A Nampewo Olivia O Boyer Jade J Morrison Susan S Nsubuga Rogers R Bagaya Monica M Nyanzi Robert R Matovu Flavia F Yin Michael M Wyatt Christina C Mujugira Andrew A Heffron Renee R

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source