Psychosocial predictors and gender differences in the mental well-being of adolescents living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: The psychosocial vulnerability of adolescents living with HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where structural and psychosocial stressors are prevalent, is an important public health concern. While several studies have investigated some psychosocial factors as they predict mental well-being among adults living with HIV, little is known about the role of psychosocial (depression, personality traits and social support) predictors and sex differences in the mental well-being of adolescents living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria.Aim: This study aims to examine the psychosocial predictors and gender differences in the mental well-being of adolescents living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional design using purposive sampling was employed, with data collected from 144 adolescents (aged 13 to 19 years, M = 16.04 years, SD = 2.02 years). Instruments included the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, the Perceived Social Support in HIV (PSS-HIV) scale, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R) Scale, and the Big Five Personality Traits inventory. Five hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression and an independent sample t-test at a significance level of 0.05.Results: Results showed that depression, personality traits, and social support jointly predicted mental well-being [F(12, 122) = 13.77, R = 0.60, R² = 0.36, p < 0.01]. Independent predictors included agreeableness (β = 0.23, t = 2.54, p < 0.01), openness (β = -0.19, t = -2.05, p < 0.05), belonging (β = 0.22, t = 2.56, p < 0.01), and esteem (β = 0.38, t = 3.31, p < 0.001). Results also showed that there were no significant sex differences in mental well-being [t(141) = -1.39, p > 0.05].Conclusion: Psychosocial factors significantly influenced mental well-being, and interventions should focus on strengthening social support networks and promoting adaptive personality traits to improve mental well-being.