Mapping evidence of depression in HIV-seropositive MSM in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Background Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders among an estimated 25.6 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The depression rate is higher in HIV-seropositive men who have sex with men (MSM) regardless of their sexual orientation, identity or romantic attraction. This is due to various types of stigma including HIV-related stigma, social stigma, self-stigma and mental health stigma. Opportunistic infections, unemployment, poverty and food insecurity also predispose HIV-seropositive MSM to depression. Moreover, depression in heterosexual and sexual minority groups challenges and additionally burdens SSA health care systems due to inadequate economic developments, lack of mental health professionals who specialise in the treatment of depression, few MSM-centred facilities, inadequate mental health infrastructure (hospitals and clinics) and complimentary resources. Although studies have highlighted links between mental health disorder, an HIV diagnosis and sexual minority groups, there is limited research that focusses on depression and its causal factors in MSM living with HIV in SSA. Hence, the relevance of conducting this scoping review. Methods A scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, the enhancements and recommendations of Levac, Colquhoun and O’Brien, Daudt and associates and the 2015 Johanna Briggs Institute’s guidelines will be conducted. Systematic electronic searches of databases and search engines such as Google, Google Scholar, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (Ovid), and PsycInfo (Ovid) will be conducted to attain published peer-reviewed articles of all study designs. Grey literature will be sourced from media and conference abstracts and reports, governmental reports and unpublished dissertations and theses. Additionally, websites of humanitarian organisations and other relevant departmental websites will also be searched. Literature published between 2010 and 2020 that meets the review’s inclusion criteria, research question and sub-question will be included in this review. All the retrieved literature will be exported to an Endnote X9.2 library after duplicates have been removed. Discussion We anticipate mapping relevant literature on depression and the causal factors in HIV-seropositive MSM living in SSA. Once analysed and summarised, the data will be useful in identifying literature gaps, informing systematic reviews and future research. The findings could also assist in depression and sexuality dialogues, and awareness campaigns that address mental health issues, stigma and discrimination among this key population living in SSA.

Identity development, attraction, and behaviour of heterosexually identified men who have sex with men: Scoping review protocol

“…All authors will also regularly engage in re exive meetings to discuss and minimise biases, resolve disagreements, and reach consensus. Quantitative data from studies will be analyzed using numerical counts and tables 36 . Findings will then be used to summarise current literature on H-MSM, identify research gaps and future directions, and re ect on the feasibility of a systematic review or future primary studies.…”

The Mental Health of Male Sexual Minority Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Nairobi, Kenya: A Aualitative Assessment

“…Prolonged psychological distress increases the risk of other adverse health outcomes, such as coronary heart disease (Cohen et al, 2007). Although numerous studies have found MSM to have higher depression rates than their heterosexual counterparts (Ulanja et al, 2019;Mulqueeny et al, 2021), lim-ited research about the experiences of MSM refugees and asylum seekers with depression is available. Nevertheless, consistent with other emerging research, our study indicates the need to understand further specific mental health disparities among MSM refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya.…”

Mapping Evidence of the Power Relations Between Domestic Workers and Their Employers in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Scoping Review Protocol

“…Littlewood, Chance-Larsen and McLean (2010) suggest that "inadequate attention to key design features including sample size, allocation and level of blinding" may increase inaccurate conclusions (23). Therefore, the quality of collected literature will be appraised through ratings from high average (100%) to above average (75%), average (50%) and lowquality (25%) research evidence (24).…”