Psychological complications associated with HIV/AIDS infection among children in South-South Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

To examine the prevalence of depression and suicidality among children with HIV infection and determine the clinical characteristics associated with depression, we interviewed 150 children and adolescent with HIV and without HIV infection respectively using Major Depressive and Suicidality Modules of Mini- International Neuropsychiatric Interview for children and adolescents at a Paediatric Outpatient Clinic of a Teaching Hospital. The prevalence of depression was higher among children and adolescents with HIV infection than those without HIV infection (p = 0.01). Older age group (14–16 years), children who experienced academic failure, the orphans, and those who had more than one hospitalization were more likely to experience depression. The higher prevalence of depression among children and adolescents with HIV infection compared to the control group indicates a need to incorporate psychiatric liaison services into management of children with HIV/AIDS.

Keywords

• psychological issues
• children
• hiv/aids infection
• nigeria
• sub-saharan africa