Social Support for South African Caregivers of Children Living with Perinatally Acquired HIV

Caregivers of youth living with perinatally acquired HIV often face many demands in providing for their children. While there is increased attention towards the needs of their youth, social support for these adults is largely understudied. Longitudinal data from three waves of caregiver interviews (n = 316) from an RCT entitled the VUKA Family Program were used. This is a psychosocial family intervention based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Mixed-effect multilevel linear modeling was used across time points (baseline, posttest, follow-up). A significant difference in social support was found between the intervention and control groups at posttest (B = 0.107, p < 0.05) but not at the follow-up stage. Age was negatively associated with social support (B = − 0.003, p < 0.05). Findings indicate an intervention effect in social support reported by caregivers that faded once the intervention ended. This intervention presents a potential approach to supporting caregivers of youth with perinatally acquired HIV.