Toward an enhanced understanding of psychological resilience for HIV youth populations

Though mother-to-child HIV transmission has been dramatically reduced in the past decade, there are currently an estimated 1.8 million children living with HIV across the globe, and over 30% of all new HIV infections occur among youth ages 15-25. While all youth experience developmental challenges, children and adolescents who are living with HIV must navigate these challenges within the context of high HIV stigma and must cope with a host of psychosocial and health-related challenges. In addition, because HIV disproportionately impacts individuals from minority statuses (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality) and people living in poverty, vulnerabilities are often compounded. Resilience frameworks emphasize the capacity for positive adaptation to adversity, and thus provide a useful lens to identify and build upon individual and community strengths. This article introduces a special issue of AIDS Care that examines factors associated with resilience among children and adolescents affected by or living with HIV, as well as innovative interventions designed to build resilience among HIV youth populations. The articles highlighted within this issue examine the possibility of building resilience across diverse settings (e.g., schools, communities, healthcare clinics) and with varied populations (e.g., youth living with HIV, AIDS orphans, young men who have sex with men). We also highlight innovative approaches to resilience-building, including a new mobile Health (mHealth) smartphone game that aims to improve adherence among youth living with HIV in the United States.