A Booklet Self-Help Intervention for People Living with HIV and Depressive Symptoms in Botswana: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is a scarcity of psychological treatment options for people living with HIV (PLWH) with depressive symptoms. Self-help programs for depressive symptoms, in particular, are cost-effective and scalable, and therefore a promising tool in the treatment of depressive symptoms for people in low-resourced countries. This paper presents the results of a study that examined the effectiveness of a guided self-help program in reducing depressive symptoms in PLWH in Botswana. A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted on a sample of PLWH who were screened at HIV treatment centers in Botswana. The RCT had two conditions: an intervention group that received the self-help program with coaching and an attention-only control group. In both groups, a pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up measurement were administered. Patients in the intervention group followed a booklet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based self-help program. Seventy-two participants were included in the study. The results indicated significantly larger decreases in depressive symptoms in the intervention group than in the attention-only control group, both in the short and longer term, with large effect sizes. In addition, there were significant reductions in anxiety symptoms in the intervention group compared to the control group. The user satisfaction was high. Implementing this low-cost and scalable self-help program in a LMIC such as Botswana is critical in bridging the existing mental health treatment gap. This clinical Trial was registered with the Netherlands Trial registry, number NTR5407on August 23, 2018.