Psychosocial factors affecting self-esteem among youth living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Namibia

Abstract

Social work with young people under 18 years of age living with HIV, one of the fastest growing populations of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is emerging as an increasingly important practice area in Sub-Saharan Africa. This current study focused on the association between several psychosocial factors and self-esteem among 188 youth living with HIV in the Zambezi region of rural north-eastern Namibia. This study used hierarchical multivariate regression to examine how depressive symptoms, adherence to HIV treatment, HIV/AIDS transmission literacy, and HIV status disclosure were associated with selfesteem among youth living with HIV in the Zambezi region. Our study found that having grandparents as primary caregivers, knowing about HIV transmission, adhering to HIV treatment protocols, disclosing one’s HIV status to someone else, and having fewer depressive symptoms had a positive effect on a youth’s self-esteem. Our findings point to the need for African social workers to expand youth-focused interventions that promote mental health, HIV adherence, HIV/AIDS transmission literacy, and HIV disclosure, especially among youth living in rural areas of Africa with high HIV prevalence rates.