Adaptation and feasibility of WHO PM+ for adolescents living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa: an implementation feasibility study protocol.

Introduction: Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are an extremely vulnerable population, with the burden of mental health problems carefully documented together with the constraints for receiving timely and adequate management of the problems, especially in rural settings. Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a scalable psychological intervention for individuals impaired by distress in communities exposed to adversity. Initially developed for adult populations, few studies have assessed its potential to address adolescent distress.

Cultural and contextual adaptation of mental health measures in Kenya: An adolescent-centered transcultural adaptation of measures study.

Introduction: There is paucity of culturally adapted tools for assessing depression and anxiety in children and adolescents in low-and middle-income countries. This hinders early detection, provision of appropriate and culturally acceptable interventions. In a partnership with the University of Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenyatta National Hospital, and UNICEF, a rapid cultural adaptation of three adolescent mental health scales was done, i.

Validation of the English and Swahili Adaptation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for Use Among Adolescents in Kenya.

Purpose: Our study aimed to validate culturally adapted English and Swahili versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for use with adolescents in Kenya. Criterion validity was determined with clinician-administered diagnostic interviews using the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia.

Methods: A total of 250 adolescents comprising 148 (59.

Identified needs of peripartum adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2013 to 2021: a mapping of domains for strengthening psychosocial interventions.

Adolescent pregnancy and early motherhood pose significant socioeconomic and health risks in Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to considerable morbidity and mortality. To learn more about the needs of this population, we reviewed 24 articles featuring 21 samples covering 12,490 adolescents from 14 countries. Our coding revealed that adolescent mothers were studied more (85.

Routine outcome measurement in adolescents seeking mental health services: standardization of HoNOSCA in Kenyan sample.

Background: The evaluation of treatment outcomes is important for service providers to assess if there is improvement or not. The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) was developed for this use in child and adolescent mental health services. Outcome measurement in routine mental health services is limited.

Mapping services at two Nairobi County primary health facilities: identifying challenges and opportunities in integrated mental health care as a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) priority.

Introduction: There is a need to scale-up mental health service provision in primary health care. The current extent of integration of mental health in primary care is pertinent to promoting and augmenting mental health at this level. We describe a facility mapping exercise conducted in two low-income/primary health facilities in Kenya to identify existing barriers and facilitators in the delivery of mental health services in general and specifically for peripartum adolescents in primary health care as well as available service resources, cadres, and developmental partners on the ground.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support During COVID-19: A Review of Health Guidelines in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought in its wake an unforeseen mental health crisis. The World Health Organization published a guideline as a way of supporting mental health and psychosocial well-being of different groups during this pandemic. The impact of the pandemic has pushed governments to put measures in place to curb not only the physical health of individuals but their mental health and psychosocial well-being as well.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms in urban primary care settings: Botswana.

Background: The prevalence of depression is estimated to be high in primary care settings, especially amongst people with chronic diseases. Early identification and management of depression can improve chronic disease outcomes and quality of life, however, there are many missed opportunities in primary care.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of depression and depressive symptoms in two urban primary care settings.

The validity and reliability of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for screening depression in primary health care patients in Botswana.

Background: The lack of locally validated screening instruments contributes to poor detection of depression in primary care. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a brief and freely available screening tool which was developed for primary care settings; however, its accuracy may be affected by the population in which it is administered. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of PHQ-9 for screening depression in a primary care population in Botswana.

Process and outcome of child psychotherapies offered in Kenya: a mixed methods study protocol on improving child mental health.

Background: Child and adolescent mental health problems account for a significant proportion of the local and global burden of disease and is recognized as a growing public health concern in need of adequate services. Studies carried out in Kenya suggest a need for a robust service for the treatment, prevention, and promotion of child and adolescent mental health. Despite a few existing services to provide treatment and management of mental health disorders, we need more knowledge about their effectiveness in the management of these disorders.

Child and adolescent mental health in Africa: A qualitative analysis of the perspectives of emerging mental health clinicians and researchers using an online platform.

Using a social ecological framework, this study aimed to establish emerging mental health clinicians and researchers' perspectives about child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) in Africa. Perspectives of 17 participants from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia, whose professional backgrounds ranged from psychiatry to speech-language therapy, were collected at an African CAMH conference. Data were gathered using open-ended questions, using an online survey.

Engagement and partnership with peer mentors in the development of the "Positive and Healthy Living Program": a process paper.

Partnership and engagement are mediators of change in the efficient uptake of evidence-based patient-centered health interventions. We reflect on our process of engagement and preparation of peer mentors in the development of peer-led psychotherapy intervention for HIV infected adolescents in active care at the Comprehensive Care Centre (CCC) at Kenyatta National Hospital. The program was implemented in two phases, using a onsultation, nvolve, ollaboration and mpowerment approach as stepping stones to guide our partnership and engagement process with stakeholders and ten peer mentors embedded in the CCC.

Shifting parental roles, caregiving practices and the face of child development in low resource informal settlements of Nairobi: experiences of community health workers and school teachers.

Approximately, 42% of the Kenyan population live below the poverty line. Rapid growth and urbanization of Kenya's population have resulted in a changing poverty and food security environment in high-density urban areas. Lack of basic food needs in Kenya affects approximately 34.

Mechanisms associated with maternal adverse childhood experiences on offspring's mental health in Nairobi informal settlements: a mediational model testing approach.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a significant public health and social welfare problem in low-and middle income countries (LMICs). However, most ACEs research is based on developed countries, and little is known about mechanisms of early ACEs on adulthood health and offspring's wellbeing for populations in LMICs. This area is needed to guide social welfare policy and intervention service planning.

Understanding mental health difficulties and associated psychosocial outcomes in adolescents in the HIV clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya.

Background: Globally adolescents continue to have an upward trend in HIV incidence and AIDS-related mortality. The interplay between the rapid physical growth, sexual maturation, and enormous albeit slow-evolving cognitive and psychological changes in adolescence may partly explain this trend. Our main purpose was to highlight key psychosocial characteristics of HIV-infected adolescents and explore if these characteristics are associated with depression symptoms.

The role of attachment relationship in adolescents' problem behavior development: a cross-sectional study of Kenyan adolescents in Nairobi city.

Background: There is a significant link between insecure attachment and the development of psychopathology in adolescence. We investigated the relationship between adolescent attachment styles and the development of emotional and behavioral problems among adolescents in Kenya. We also examined the modifying influence of socio-economic-status (SES).