"You could hear their breathing slow down": insights on a video-based psychosocial support intervention to increase HIV treatment uptake and improve psychosocial well-being among men living with HIV in South Africa

Authors

Brendan Maughan-Brown, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Mamaswatsi Kopeka, Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA.
Harsha Thirumurthy, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Alison Buttenheim, Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Mark Lurie, Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Elzette Rousseau, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Philip Smith, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Linda-Gail Bekker, Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Abigail Harrison, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

12-21-2025

Journal

AIDS care

DOI

10.1080/09540121.2025.2604606

Keywords

Africa; HIV treatment; Linkage to care; SDG 10: Reduced inequalities; SDG 3: Good health and well-being; SDG 5: Gender equality; behavioural economics; men living with HIV; video-based intervention

Abstract

High rates of AIDS-related mortality and HIV incidence persist due to delayed antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and retention. We qualitatively assessed the feasibility and acceptability of "From Now On" (FNO) - a short video-based psychosocial support intervention to increase ART uptake and improve psychosocial well-being among men newly diagnosed with HIV in South Africa. In-depth interviews were conducted with men who were shown FNO during post-test HIV counselling (n = 12) and with counsellors (n = 9) who used FNO. Participants reported that FNO alleviated the immediate shock following their diagnosis; reduced fear (of death, ART side-effects, stigma and rejection) and instilled hope. Counsellors observed men calming down and positive impacts of FNO on counselling: increased attention, engagement and credibility. FNO appeared to reframe the mental model of living with HIV: "life goes on"; that one can not only live a long, healthy life on ART, but also thrive. The video encouraged disclosure and appeared to reduce internalised stigma. These qualitative findings indicate high intervention acceptability and feasibility and the potential of FNO to increase ART uptake through multiple pathways. Findings generate a hypothesis that warrants further investigation: "From Now On" could improve post-test HIV counselling and systematically provide psychosocial support through a low cost and scalable intervention.

APA Citation

Maughan-Brown, Brendan; Kopeka, Mamaswatsi; Thirumurthy, Harsha; Buttenheim, Alison; Lurie, Mark; Rousseau, Elzette; Smith, Philip; Bekker, Linda-Gail; and Harrison, Abigail, ""You could hear their breathing slow down": insights on a video-based psychosocial support intervention to increase HIV treatment uptake and improve psychosocial well-being among men living with HIV in South Africa" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 8376.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/8376

Department

Public Health Student Works