Barriers to accessing mental health services in parents/guardians of hiv positive children aged 0-19 years, a descriptive cross section study
1
1 School of Public Health, Texila American University, Lusaka, Zambia
2
2 School of medicine, Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, Lusaka, Zambia
3
3 Health and HIV department, UNICEF, Lusaka, Zambia
4
4 Planning and evaluation, Pediatric Centre of Excellence at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Lusaka, Zambia
5
5 School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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6 Global health and Infectious Diseases, Global Health and Development in Africa, Lusaka, Zambia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2450
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Mental health refers to a person’s overall sense of mental well-being, allowing them to handle everyday stresses, recognize their strengths, learn and work effectively and actively contribute to their community. In Zambia, the double burden of managing a child's Human Immune deficiency Virus (HIV) related medical needs and the stigma associated with both HIV and mental health issues creates unique challenges for caregivers.
METHODS:
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The study population were parents/guardians of HIV positive children aged 0-19 years. The sample size was 267 and convenient sampling was used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using R version 4.4.2. were chi square tests and bivariate analysis were conducted.
RESULTS:
The study found that most caregivers were female (74.4%), with males representing 25.6% of the participants. The most prominent barrier was stigma, reported by approximately 71.5% of caregivers. Financial and transport-related constraints were also widely cited (50.4%), highlighting the structural and economic burdens associated with attending mental health appointments. Cultural barriers were reported by only 15.4% of respondents, suggesting that traditional beliefs or taboos, while present, may not be the primary deterrent in this clinical population. Awareness of mental health services (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.01-4.21, p = 0.048) and cultural barriers (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.24-4.36, p = 0.009) were independently associated with service utilization.
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings indicate that awareness and cultural factors play significant roles in determining access to mental health services among caregivers of HIV positive children at the Pediatric Centre of Excellence. While other socio-economic and demographic factors may influence access in theory, effects were not statistically significant in this clinical sample.
Mental health refers to a person’s overall sense of mental well-being, allowing them to handle everyday stresses, recognize their strengths, learn and work effectively and actively contribute to their community. In Zambia, the double burden of managing a child's Human Immune deficiency Virus (HIV) related medical needs and the stigma associated with both HIV and mental health issues creates unique challenges for caregivers.
METHODS:
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. The study population were parents/guardians of HIV positive children aged 0-19 years. The sample size was 267 and convenient sampling was used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using R version 4.4.2. were chi square tests and bivariate analysis were conducted.
RESULTS:
The study found that most caregivers were female (74.4%), with males representing 25.6% of the participants. The most prominent barrier was stigma, reported by approximately 71.5% of caregivers. Financial and transport-related constraints were also widely cited (50.4%), highlighting the structural and economic burdens associated with attending mental health appointments. Cultural barriers were reported by only 15.4% of respondents, suggesting that traditional beliefs or taboos, while present, may not be the primary deterrent in this clinical population. Awareness of mental health services (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.01-4.21, p = 0.048) and cultural barriers (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.24-4.36, p = 0.009) were independently associated with service utilization.
CONCLUSIONS:
These findings indicate that awareness and cultural factors play significant roles in determining access to mental health services among caregivers of HIV positive children at the Pediatric Centre of Excellence. While other socio-economic and demographic factors may influence access in theory, effects were not statistically significant in this clinical sample.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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