“It empowered me to move my timeline forward”: first person thematically analysed accounts of a novel behavioural intervention to support status-sharing in young adults with perinatally acquired HIV in UK and Uganda

Young adults living with perinatally acquired HIV (PAH) face many stressors. Sharing one's status may help with coping with these challenges but there are no rigorously evaluated interventions to support HIV status sharing in this population. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of participants in a novel HIV status-sharing intervention guided by motivational interviewing. We used a cross-sectional, qualitative design. Ten young adults from Uganda (20-25 years; 6 female), nine from the UK (19-29 years; 7 female) and five therapists (2 UK; 3 Uganda) participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seven theoretical themes were identified. Participants reported positive experiences of the intervention, a desire for more support and the importance of peer interaction. This study provides evidence for the acceptability of a novel HIV-sharing intervention for young adults with PAH. The intervention could inform HIV sharing guidance and clinical practice.