Browsing by Author "Absolum David Nkosi"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The adolescent HIV executive function and drumming (AHEAD) study, afeasibility trial of a group drumming intervention amongst adolescents with HIV
    (2023-04-11) Kirsten Rowe; Julia Ruiz Pozuelo; Alecia Nickless; Absolum David Nkosi; Andeline Dos Santos; Kathleen Kahn; Stephen Tollman; Ryan G Wagner; Gaia Scerif; Alan Stein
    AHEAD feasibility trial assessed the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-session group drummingprogramme aiming to improve executive function, depression and anxiety symptoms, andperceived social support in adolescents living with HIV in a rural low-income South Africansetting. Sixty-eight 12- to 19-year-old adolescents participated. They were individuallyrandomised. The intervention arm (n= 34) received weekly hour-long group drumming sessions.Controls (n= 34) received no intervention. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed usingrates of: enrolment; retention; attendance; logistical problems; adolescent-reportedacceptability. Secondary measures included:five Oxford Cognitive Screen-Executive Function(OCS-EF) tasks; two Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER) tasks; theSelf-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) measuring depression and anxiety symptoms; theMultidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). All feasibility criteria were withingreen progression limits. Enrolment, retention, and acceptability were high. There was a positiveeffect on adolescent depressed mood with signal for a working memory effect. There were nosignificant effects on executive function or socio-emotional scales. Qualitativefindingssuggested socio-emotional benefits including: group belonging; decreased internalised stigma;improved mood; decreased anxiety. Group drumming is a feasible and acceptable interventionamongst adolescents living with HIV in rural South Africa. A full-scale trial is recommended.