Psychosocial Impact and Coping Strategies by Mentor Mothers Engaged in Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Services in Taraba State, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Mentor mothers (MMs) are women living with HIV who provide peer education, advice, support, and mentorship for HIV-positive women undergoing Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) during pregnancy and after delivery. This study aimed to explore their experiences and the impact of the work on their psychosocial well-being, as well as the strategies they adopt to cope with the same. Methodology: We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews among 16 MMs in Taraba State, Nigeria, between September and November 2022.All interviews were recorded using a voice recorder. The collected data were transcribed and translated into English for analysis. Thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data. Results: The key themes identified from MMs' account of their lived experiences as mothers living with HIV and providing support to other HIV positive (+) women were their fears and distress at diagnosis, disclosure challenges, stigma, and discrimination, the place of good counselling in helping newly diagnosed to accept and adhere to treatment, the ill-feelings evoked from repeated telling of their own stories to new clients, some negative impact on their psychosocial wellbeing, and various strategies to cope with the demands of the program. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was no serious negative impact on the psychosocial well-being of the MMs from their work. They adopt various strategies, such as religious activities and relaxation with family and friends, to keep this intact. This program should therefore be scaled up with holistic support for the health and well-being of the MMs themselves.