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Psychological Stressors and Coping Strategies Used by Adolescents Living with and Not Living with Hiv Infection in Nigeria

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Abstract

Little is known about stressful triggers and coping strategies of Nigerian adolescents and whether or not, and how, HIV infection modulates these sources of stress and coping. This study evaluated differences in stressors and coping strategies among Nigerian adolescents based on HIV status. We analysed the data of six hundred 10–19 year old adolescents recruited through a population-based survey from 12 States of Nigeria who self-reported their HIV status. Data on stressors and coping strategies were retrieved by self-report from participants, using a validated structured questionnaire. We compared results between adolescents with and without HIV with respect to identification of specific life events as stressors, and use of specific coping strategies to manage stress. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex. Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) had significantly increased odds of identifying ‘having to visit the hospital regularly’ (AOR: 5.85; 95 % CI: 2.11–16.20; P = 0.001), and ‘having to take drugs regularly’ (AOR: 9.70; 95 % CI: 4.13–22.81; P < 0.001) as stressors; and ‘Seeking social support’ (AOR: 3.14; 95 % CI: 1.99–4.93; p < 0.001) and ‘using mental disengagement’ (OR: 1.64; 95 % CI: 0.49–1.84; p = 0.001) as coping strategies. Adolescents not living with HIV had significantly increased odds of identifying ‘argument with a friend or family member’ as a stressor (AOR: 6.59; 95 % CI: 3.62–11.98; P < 0.001). Life events related to adolescents’ HIV positive status were significant stressors for ALHIV. Providing targeted psychosocial support could help reduce the impact of such HIV status-related stressors on ALHIV.

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Acknowledgments

Ford Foundation Nigeria funded the study implementation. BIARI, Brown University, USA provided support for the corresponding author to spend time in the university to conduct data analysis and manuscript writing. The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Public Health and Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, 22005, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Morenike O. Folayan

  2. Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Sexuality, AIDS and Society, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru

    Carlos F. Cáceres

  3. Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria

    Nadia A. Sam-Agudu

  4. Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, USA

    Nadia A. Sam-Agudu

  5. Positive Action for Treatment Access, Lagos, Nigeria

    Morolake Odetoyinbo

  6. Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA

    Jamila K. Stockman

  7. Population Studies and Training Center, and Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Public Health Program, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Abigail Harrison

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  1. Morenike O. Folayan
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  2. Carlos F. Cáceres
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  3. Nadia A. Sam-Agudu
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  4. Morolake Odetoyinbo
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  6. Abigail Harrison
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Morenike O. Folayan.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval for the study was obtained from the National Institute of Medical Research Institutional Review Board, the Health Research Ethics Committee of Plateau State, and the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was sought from adolescents 15 years and older. Parental consent and participant assent were obtained for participants 10 to 14 years old.

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Folayan, M.O., Cáceres, C.F., Sam-Agudu, N.A. et al. Psychological Stressors and Coping Strategies Used by Adolescents Living with and Not Living with Hiv Infection in Nigeria. AIDS Behav 21, 2736–2745 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1534-3

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