Acceptability and feasibility of peer-administered group interpersonal therapy for depression for people living with HIV/AIDS\u2014a pilot study in Northwest Ethiopia

Biksegn Asrat,Crick Lund,Marguerite Schneider,Fentie Ambaw

doi:10.1186/s40814-021-00889-x

Abstract

BackgroundPsychological treatments are widely tested and have been effective in treating depressive symptoms. However, implementation of psychological treatments in the real world and in diverse populations remains difficult due to several interacting barriers. In this study, we assessed the acceptability and feasibility of peer-administered group interpersonal therapy for depressive symptoms among people living with HIV/AIDS in Northwest Ethiopia.MethodWe conducted a single-arm, peer-administered, group interpersonal therapy intervention with eight weekly sessions from 15 August to 15 December 2019 among people living with HIV/AIDS in Northwest Ethiopia. Four interpersonal therapy groups were formed for the intervention with a total of 31 participants.ResultsOf the 31 recruited participants, 29 completed the intervention providing a retention rate of 93.5%. The process of the intervention and its outcomes were highly acceptable as most participants expressed success in resolving their psychosocial problems, adjusting to life changes and coping with stigma. The intervention was also reported to be feasible despite anticipated barriers such as access to transportation, perceived stigma and confidentiality concerns. The post-intervention assessment revealed significant reduction in depressive symptoms (mean difference (MD) = 9.92; t = − 7.82; 95% CI, − 12.54, − 7.31; p < 0.001), improvement in perceived social support (MD = 0.79; t = 2.84; 95% CI, 0.22, 1.37; p = 0.009) and quality of life (MD = 0.39; t = 4.58; 95% CI, 0.21, 0.56; p < 0.001).ConclusionGroup interpersonal therapy is feasible and acceptable, and people living with HIV/AIDS can benefit from group interpersonal therapy in managing depressive symptoms and in improving perceived social support and quality of life. Future studies should examine the effectiveness of group interpersonal therapy in this setting.

Highlights

Psychological treatments are widely tested and have been effective in treating depressive symptoms
Group interpersonal therapy is feasible and acceptable, and people living with HIV/AIDS can benefit from group interpersonal therapy in managing depressive symptoms and in improving perceived social support and quality of life
This study found preliminary effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms, improving social support and quality of life of people with depression and HIV/AIDS

Summary

Introduction

Psychological treatments are widely tested and have been effective in treating depressive symptoms. Implementation of psychological treatments in the real world and in diverse populations remains difficult due to several interacting barriers. Psychological treatments have been widely tested and have shown effectiveness in treating depressive symptoms and other common mental disorders [1,2,3,4]. The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates access to evidencebased psychological treatments for moderate to severe depressive disorders after following proper adaptation procedures [5]. Implementation of psychological treatments in diverse populations and in different settings remains difficult due to several interacting barriers during the implementation process [1, 6] in a manner that may not always be evident when implementing physical health interventions. Several factors contribute to low acceptability and feasibility, such as lack of resources and access, workload on task-sharing interventionists, low retention and inadequate level of competency of interventionists [7]

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