Making the Link between Trauma and HIV

posted on February 20, 2017

Soweto (South Western Townships) is a section of Johannesburg, South Africa, that lies at the border of the city’s mining belt in the south.

By Kalysha Closson, BC-CfE Research Assistant

In a country like South Africa, where HIV rates are extraordinarily high, little is known about the influence that traumatic experiences at a young age can play in increasing a young person’s HIV risk. Some researchers suggest the link between traumatic experiences and HIV risk differs by gender. However, few studies have focused on the different ways that traumatic experiences can affect adolescent males and females in South Africa.

The Botsha Bophelo Adolescent Health Survey (BBAHS) interviewed 830 youth (between the ages of 14-19) in Soweto between 2010 and 2012. Soweto (South Western Townships) is a section of Johannesburg, South Africa, that lies at the border of the city’s mining belt in the south. It faces high rates of income inequality.

The research team includes myself and my supervisor Angela Kaida (we are both BC-CfE-affiliated researchers and part of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University). We analyzed the number of lifetime traumatic experiences among respondents to see how they may have affected males and females differently. The BBAHS is a collaboration between Simon Fraser University and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit in Soweto. The team hoped to gain a better understanding of the relationship between trauma and HIV risk.

Of the adolescents interviewed, 767 answered all BBAHS questions related to experiencing potentially traumatic events (PTEs). Nearly all of those respondents (99.7%) reported at least one PTE, with the average number of PTEs being seven. Researchers also found the majority of both adolescent males and females (74%) reported experiencing the death of a family member or someone close to them.

Additionally, adolescent males are more likely to report experiencing or being personally involved in acts of violence. For example, 76% of males reported they witnessed an act of violence in their community, while 41% of adolescent females reported they experienced psychological forms of PTEs, like having a family member die from HIV/AIDS.

Another interesting finding from the BBAHS study: Adolescent females who experienced a higher number of PTEs are more likely to be food insecure, depressed and to report inconsistent condom use. Adolescent men who experienced high levels of PTEs are also more likely to be food insecure. The male respondents are older and more likely to have recently moved to Soweto.

This research calls attention to the need for strategies to help reduce the high number of PTEs experienced by adolescents living in communities where HIV rates are extremely elevated. A link was revealed between experiences of trauma and experiences with depression and inconsistent condom use, particularly for young females. There is an evident and strong need for HIV prevention and mental health interventions in these communities. These interventions should promote gender equality, be youth-centred and take into account the different types of trauma young people experience in their communities.

Read the full study, published in BMC Public Health, online here.

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Making the Link between Trauma and HIV

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