Boakye Dorothy Serwaa, Adjorlolo Samuel
Department of Health Administration and Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
Department of Mental Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 12;20(6):e0325854. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325854. eCollection 2025.
Adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa face a disproportionate burden of mental health challenges and suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, which can have significant consequences for their overall health and well-being. While multiple family group therapy (MFGT) has shown promise in improving outcomes for ALHIV in other settings, the intervention is yet to be wholly adapted and evaluated in the Ghanaian context. This study aims to adapt, pilot, and evaluate a multiple family group therapy (MFGT) intervention to improve mental health and ART adherence among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana.
A total of 80 ALHIV (aged 10-19 years at enrollment) will be recruited from two HIV clinics and each clinic will be randomized to one of two study conditions (MFGT group and control group). The study will be conducted in three phases: 1) Adaptation Phase - Qualitative data collection through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders (adolescents, caregivers, community leaders and healthcare providers) to inform the adaptation of the MFGT intervention for the Ghanaian context; 2) Pilot Implementation Phase - Quantitative assessments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, Wilson's 3-item adherence scale, FAD, Berger HIV Stigma Scale) and qualitative data collection (focus groups, interviews) to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the adapted MFGT intervention; and 3) Evaluation Phase - Continuation of the quantitative and qualitative data collection, as well as a cost-effectiveness analysis, to assess the long-term impact, sustainability, and scalability of the MFGT intervention.
The study will provide valuable insights into the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the adapted MFGT intervention in improving mental health and ART adherence among adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana. The findings will inform the development of culturally relevant and sustainable strategies to support this vulnerable population, with potential implications for similar interventions in other sub-Saharan African contexts.
The study has obtained necessary ethical approvals from the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee and relevant health authorities, and will follow international research guidelines. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and clinical trial registry, with an emphasis on open-access formats to maximize accessibility.
PROTOCOL REGISTRATION IN CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV: (NCT06701942).
24 November, 2024.
撒哈拉以南非洲地区感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病的青少年面临着不成比例的心理健康挑战负担以及抗逆转录病毒疗法（ART）依从性欠佳的问题，这可能对他们的整体健康和福祉产生重大影响。虽然多家庭团体疗法（MFGT）在改善其他环境中感染艾滋病毒青少年（ALHIV）的治疗效果方面已显示出前景，但该干预措施尚未在加纳的环境中得到全面调整和评估。本研究旨在调整、试点并评估一种多家庭团体疗法（MFGT）干预措施，以改善加纳感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病青少年的心理健康和ART依从性。
将从两家艾滋病毒诊所招募总共80名感染艾滋病毒青少年（入组时年龄为10 - 19岁），每家诊所将被随机分配到两种研究条件之一（MFGT组和对照组）。该研究将分三个阶段进行：1）调整阶段——通过焦点小组讨论和对关键利益相关者（青少年、照顾者、社区领袖和医疗保健提供者）的深入访谈收集定性数据，为在加纳环境中调整MFGT干预措施提供信息；2）试点实施阶段——进行定量评估（PHQ - 9、GAD - 7、威尔逊3项依从性量表、家庭功能评定量表、伯杰艾滋病毒耻辱感量表）和定性数据收集（焦点小组、访谈），以评估调整后的MFGT干预措施的可行性、可接受性和初步有效性；3）评估阶段——继续进行定量和定性数据收集，以及成本效益分析，以评估MFGT干预措施的长期影响、可持续性和可扩展性。
该研究将为调整后的MFGT干预措施在改善加纳感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病青少年的心理健康和ART依从性方面的可行性、可接受性和有效性提供有价值的见解。研究结果将为制定具有文化相关性和可持续性的策略以支持这一弱势群体提供信息，可能对撒哈拉以南非洲其他地区的类似干预措施产生影响。
该研究已获得加纳卫生服务伦理审查委员会和相关卫生当局的必要伦理批准，并将遵循国际研究指南。研究结果将通过同行评审出版物、会议报告和临床试验注册进行传播，重点是开放获取格式以最大限度地提高可及性。
在ClinicalTrials.gov上的协议注册编号：（NCT06701942）。
2024年11月24日。
