Reported Suicide Attempts among Adolescents in Uganda: Differences by HIV Status

Suicide remains a global public health concern and is a leading cause of death among adolescents. Adolescents with perinatally-acquired HIV (PHIV) are particularly vulnerable to suicide and other challenges, including discrimination, stigma, educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviors, and medical complications. In Uganda, adolescents with PHIV experience a high burden of mental health problems, but there is scant information regarding suicide attempts. This study examined lifetime suicide attempts, depressive symptoms, and adverse experiences among adolescents with PHIV and demographically matched HIV-negative adolescents. One hundred Ugandan adolescents (12-20 years old), 50 with and 50 without PHIV, completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-A (PHQ-A), and the Adolescent Life Events Questionnaire (ALEQ), which included additional questions about suicide attempts. Independent t-test and chi-square analyses were used to compare scores between the two HIV status groups. There were no significant differences in sex across the HIV groups. The mean total scores of the full sample were ACEs M = 2.92 (SD = 2.49), ALEQ M = 10.61 (SD = 9.08) and PHQ-A M = 2.25 (SD = 3.55). The PHIV group had significantly higher PHQ-A (p < .001), ALEQ (p < .01), and ACEs (p < .001) scores than the HIV-negative group. Among adolescents with PHIV, 14% reported at least one previous suicide attempt, while none of the HIV-negative adolescents reported any attempt (X² = 8.20, p = .02). Despite overall low depression scores, the PHIV group had significantly more depressive symptoms and were more likely to have suffered from psychosocial stressors.