![]() ![]() ![]() Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART)-based protocols for preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT) are becoming increasingly accessible worldwide. HIV-seropositive (HIV+) women of child-bearing age are the fastest growing HIV+ population in the world and 1.49 million infants every year are born to HIV+ women. The current body of evidence provides rationale for developing and evaluating clinical and structural interventions aimed at improving mental health outcomes and their clinical correlates in pregnant HIV+ women. It is concluded that psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, and mental health vulnerabilities (e.g., inadequate coping skills) are widespread among pregnant HIV+ women globally and have a potential to affect psychological well-being, quality of life and salient clinical outcomes. The presentation of results is organized by the level of socioeconomic resources in the countries where studies were conducted (i.e., high-, middle-, and low-income countries). This review synthesizes evidence from 53 peer-reviewed publications examining mental health-related variables in pregnant and postpartum HIV+ women. With growing numbers of HIV-seropositive (HIV+) women of child-bearing age and increased access to effective clinical protocols for preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, mental health-related factors have become increasingly relevant due to their potential to affect the women’s quality of life, obstetric outcomes and risk of MTCT.
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