Abstract summary 

Depression and anxiety are prevalent among people living with HIV (PLHIV), hindering retention in care. Though economic interventions can improve care engagement and mental health in the general population, this remains understudied among PLHIV. This study assessed whether financial incentives improve mental health among adult antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiates in Lake Zone, Tanzania.Two-arm randomized controlled trial.From 2021-2023, 32 clinics were randomized to offer patients monthly financial incentives (22,500 TSH/$10 USD) for ≤6 months (conditional on visit attendance) or standard-of-care (SoC) services. We assessed changes in depression (PHQ-2 scores) and anxiety (GAD-2 scores) symptoms at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Difference-in-differences effects were used to estimate changes over time by arm using inverse probability of censoring sample weights (IPCW).Participants (n = 1990) were 57.3% female; median age was 35.0. Baseline prevalences of depression and anxiety symptoms were 66.2% and 60.4%, respectively, and endline prevalences were 7.8% and 7.6%, respectively, with no differences by arm. Using IPCW, the differences in the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms between arms were 2.5 percentage points (95% CI: -3.0, 8.0) and 2.3 percentage points (95% CI: -3.2, 7.9) respectively after 6 months, and 5.5 percentage points (95% CI: -0.20, 10.8) and 3.8 percentage points (95% CI: -1.5, 9.2) respectively after 12 months.Both study arms experienced substantial reductions in poor mental health, primarily within the first 6 months of care. Financial incentives provided in this study did not significantly augment these downward trends but may improve engagement in care, indirectly improving mental health.

Authors & Co-authors:  Chitle Pooja P Sheira Lila A LA Katabaro Emmanuel E Winters Solis S Njau Prosper F PF Sabasaba Amon A Mccoy Sandra I SI

Study Outcome 

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