Mental health support for pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV in Kenya
Integration of a collaborative care model for mental health services into HIV care for pregnant and postpartum women in Kenya (the Tunawiri Study)
This project brings team-based mental health care into antenatal and postpartum HIV clinics in Kenya to help women with depression, anxiety, and staying on HIV treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11386164 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, you'll get team-based mental health care delivered as part of your regular antenatal or HIV clinic visits, including support from peer mentor mothers, a behavioral care manager, psychiatric nurses, and a consulting psychiatrist. Care will include a low-intensity, evidence-based counseling called problem-solving therapy and actions to address stigma and partner violence. The program will be introduced in phases using the EPIS implementation framework and clinic teams will track mental health, HIV care engagement, and costs. The goal is to make the service part of routine care so it can be sustained without extra clinic visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Pregnant or postpartum women living with HIV who attend participating antenatal or HIV clinics in Kenya and who have symptoms of depression or anxiety are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Women who are not living with HIV, who do not attend participating clinics in Kenya, or who need urgent specialist psychiatric care for severe mental illness may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve depression and anxiety, help more women stay engaged in HIV care, and reduce the chance of viral treatment failure.
How similar studies have performed: Collaborative care models and problem-solving therapy have improved depression and HIV outcomes in prior work and the team has used related approaches in Kenyan clinics, although full integration into routine perinatal HIV care at scale is newer.
Where this research is happening
Aurora, UNITED STATES
- University of Colorado Denver — Aurora, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abuogi, Lisa Lynn — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Abuogi, Lisa Lynn
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.