Adolescents With HIV: Attachment, Depression, and Adherence By Er ...

Chapter 2

Background

Recently, a great deal of research has indicated that adolescents with HIV infection, and perinatal HIV infection, are poorly adherent to their medications. The first generation of children born with HIV1 infection is surviving into adolescence and young adulthood. Due to the demanding nature of highly active antiretroviral medication regimens, imperfect adherence behaviors cause many adolescents to be at risk of virologic and immunological failure (Dolezal, Mellins, BrackisCott, & Abrams, 2003; Mellins, Leu, Kang, Havens, & Chesney, 2003; Murphy, Wilson, Durako, Muenz, & Belzer, 2001; Steele & Grauer, 2003; Van Dyke, Lee, Stanley, Johnson, Morse, & the PACTG subcommittee, 2000).

In a convenience sample of adolescents at a large urban pediatric hospital, 83% of adolescents displayed current or recent adherence difficulties (Malee et al., 2004).