HIV Care Continuum Outcomes Among Adolescents and Young Adults Living With HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean: Association With Depression and Substance Use

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Adolescents and young adults with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean face high rates of depression and substance use, impacting their health outcomes.
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The study found a 16% prevalence of depression among participants, with younger individuals and males being less likely to experience depression.
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Substance use was prevalent, with 58% reporting alcohol use, 28% tobacco use, and 17% cannabis use, contributing to poor ART adherence.
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Forty-one percent of participants missed ART doses in the past week, and 40% had detectable viral loads at the time of the survey.
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Only 73% of participants were retained in care after the survey, with no significant associations found between retention and demographic factors.

Open Forum Infectious Diseases

by Daisy Maria Machado, Stephany N Duda, Regina Célia de Menezes Succi, Ahra Kim, Paridhi Ranadive, Vanessa Rouzier, Brenda Crabtree-Ramírez, Marco T Luque, Fernando Mejia, Fernanda Rodríguez, Jorge Pinto, Sandra Wagner Cardoso, Fernanda Maruri, Bryan E Shepherd, Catherine C McGowan, Anna K Person
June 17, 2025

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