Bibliographic Info
GuidelineUpdated recommendations on service delivery for the treatment and care of people living with HIV
Year of Publication2021
Issuing InstitutionWHO
Recommendation
Status
Maintained
Recommended in favor
Strong
Certainty of evidence
Moderate
Psychosocial interventions should be provided to all adolescents and young adults living with HIV
Notes and Remarks
- 1.A package of services should be considered that is both acceptable and feasible within the context in which they are to be delivered. This package should be context specific and differentiated according to the needs and experiences of different subpopulations of adolescents and young adults living with HIV.
- 2.Some adolescents and young adults living with HIV may require adaptations to the content and/or delivery of psychosocial programming to meet their needs. These include adolescents and young adults with disabilities; who are living with mental health conditions or substance use; who are out of school; who are orphans; who are members of ethnic minority groups; who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI); who are pregnant; and who are living in contexts of adversity such as extreme poverty and/or humanitarian emergencies. In addition, differences in exposure to risks and protective factors depending on age, developmental stage, sex, health status, whether they belong to a key population and context need to be considered.
- 3.Evidence supports psychological approaches such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy. Programmes can include goal setting, problem solving, coping skills, healthy daily routines, interpersonal and communication skills and activation of social support, among other strategies. Interventions can be delivered through a range of delivery modalities and health-care workers, including clinic visits, home visits, support groups (including peer support and groups that link psychosocial support with ART delivery such as teen clubs), social media and telephone contact. These should be fully integrated within the package of clinical services to optimize impact. Facilitators should be able to develop supportive, trusting, nonjudgemental relationships, to maximize engagement in programming; this requires investment in ongoing training, supervision and support for facilitators.
- 4.Interventions should be implemented in keeping with the global principles and standards for providing high-quality health-care services for adolescents. The highest ethical standards should be maintained, including voluntary participation, confidentiality, privacy and the best interests of each adolescent and young person. Failure to participate should not affect access to ART or other services.
- 5.Community support and the involvement of parents, parents, guardians and other community members in programmes may provide important support for programmes and promote their success
Also Featured In
This recommendation also appears in the following guidelines:
Guideline
Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: recommendations for a public health approach
Year2021
InstitutionWHO