Psychosocial predictors and gender differences in the mental well-being of adolescents living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria

<i>Background</i>: The psychosocial vulnerability of adolescents living with HIV, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where structural and psychosocial stressors are prevalent, is an important public health concern. While several studies have investigated some psychosocial factors as they predict mental well-being among adults living with HIV, little is known about the role of psychosocial (depression, personality traits and social support) predictors and sex differences in the mental well-being of adolescents living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria.<i>Aim</i>: This study aims to examine the psychosocial predictors and gender differences in the mental well-being of adolescents living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria.<i>Methods</i>: A cross-sectional design using purposive sampling was employed, with data collected from 144 adolescents (aged 13 to 19 years, <i>M</i> = 16.04 years, SD = 2.02 years). Instruments included the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, the Perceived Social Support in HIV (PSS-HIV) scale, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R) Scale, and the Big Five Personality Traits inventory. Five hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression and an independent sample <i>t</i>-test at a significance level of 0.05.<i>Results</i>: Results showed that depression, personality traits, and social support jointly predicted mental well-being [<i>F</i>(12, 122) = 13.77, <i>R</i> = 0.60, <i>R</i>² = 0.36, <i>p</i> < 0.01]. Independent predictors included agreeableness (<i>β</i> = 0.23, <i>t</i> = 2.54, <i>p</i> < 0.01), openness (<i>β</i> = -0.19, <i>t</i> = -2.05, <i>p</i> < 0.05), belonging (<i>β</i> = 0.22, <i>t</i> = 2.56, <i>p</i> < 0.01), and esteem (<i>β</i> = 0.38, <i>t</i> = 3.31, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Results also showed that there were no significant sex differences in mental well-being [<i>t</i>(141) = -1.39, <i>p</i> > 0.05].<i>Conclusion</i>: Psychosocial factors significantly influenced mental well-being, and interventions should focus on strengthening social support networks and promoting adaptive personality traits to improve mental well-being.