Influences of Trauma and Stigma on HIV Care and Outcomes for Adolescents Globally

A major obstacle to adolescents living with HIV receiving effective and long-lasting care is the burden of trauma and stigma experienced by this group. In my internship site, I have been working under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Enane with support from Ms. Judith Toromo to study HIV care and outcomes for adolescents globally. I conducted literature review to identify some of the challenges that adolescents living with HIV face. Some predominant issues impacting care for adolescents include stigma, trauma, and discrimination among other factors. I have been exposed to a mixed-methods research approach that aims to study this, including formulating literature review and reviewing published studies, and organizing available evidence. I performed some qualitative data analysis, including coding transcripts from interviews that had been conducted with adolescents living with HIV, their caregivers, youth serving as peer mentors, and healthcare workers. This work helps to identify and study how trauma and stigma impact retention in care for adolescents living with HIV and the needed support for improved retention.