Engagement in Scientific Research as a Form of Supporting the Social Activity of Young People Living With Hiv

The article substantiates that the urgent task of social work with young people living with HIV is to find accessible and acceptable forms of social activity for self-realization, mutual help, and participation in society. One of these forms is the involvement of young people in participatory scientific research. The purpose of the article: to present the results of the study of the factors of social maladjustment of young people living with HIV, with the participation of the recipients, and to justify the possibility of using similar studies for the development of social activity of young people living with HIV. According to the design of the study, at its first stage, during the focus group, young people who have a positive HIV status shared their own experiences of living with HIV, taking ART, disclosing the status, relationships with parents (guardians) and peers, interactions with health professionals , interruption of ART and return to taking antiretroviral drugs, mutual support, and expressed their judgments about the reasons for interruption of ART and measures that could prevent it. Taking into account the results of the focus group, a representative survey was developed and conducted, and the importance of certain factors for stopping ARV therapy was proven. In order to interpret and assess the reliability of the obtained data, the results of the survey were given for analysis to young people - activists of a public youth organization. Based on the results of the evaluation, the conclusions of the study were clarified and the following recommendations were made: training parents and medical workers to correctly explain to adolescents the specifics of HIV status and ARV therapy, communication skills with adolescents and providing them with psychological support; organization of support groups for children and young people living with HIV and their parents, implementation of advocacy campaigns in communities aimed at countering the stigmatization of children with HIV.