Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42020120›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Psychological predictors of adherence to antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV in high-income countries: a systematic review protocol.

Ahunna Zainab Ezenwoko, Jordan Pimentel, Mckenzie Gaborieau, Adi Keynan, Claire Robinson, Gabriel Correia de Damasco Rodrigues, Sara Bernardin, Janice Linton, Beverley Fredborg

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ahunna Zainab EzenwokoDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Jordan PimentelDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Mckenzie GaborieauDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Adi KeynanDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Claire RobinsonDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Gabriel Correia de Damasco RodriguesDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Sara BernardinDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Janice LintonNeil John Maclean Health Sciences Library, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3210-9022
Beverley FredborgDepartment of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada b.fredborg@uwinnipeg.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5415-1838

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPeople living with HIV (PLHIV) frequently face psychological challenges, including stigma, stress and social isolation, which can negatively affect adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Even in high-income countries where treatment is accessible, poor adherence can lead to drug resistance, reduced immune function and early morbidity. This systematic review aims to synthesise evidence on the relationship between psychological and mental health factors and ART adherence among PLHIV in high-income settings. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will include studies published in any language between January 2015 and the date of the last searches. Reports of studies published in languages other than English, and which appear to be eligible for inclusion after the first level of screening, will be translated using Google Translate.Studies will be included if they continue to meet the inclusion criteria and the quality of the translation is sufficient to extract the relevant data. PLHIV aged ≥15 years receiving ART in high-income countries. The studies to be included must assess psychological or mental health variables and ART adherence. Peer-reviewed journal articles will be the primary source of evidence. Grey literature identified from reference lists of key articles or using Google Advanced search techniques will be included. Searches for published studies will be done in OVID Medline, PsycINFO and Embase. Cochrane CENTRAL will be used to identify clinical trials in ClinicalTrials.gov and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.Two independent reviewers will assess study quality and risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Quality Assessment Tool and Jadad Scale. Discrepancies will be resolved by a third reviewer. Synthesis of quantitative data will be primarily descriptive. Predictors that have been examined in three or more studies will be reported in detail while those assessed in fewer studies will be presented concisely. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will be a review of the literature and will not involve primary collection of patients' data. We will include amendments to the protocol in the final review. The final study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences. The results of this systematic review will inform clinical practice, guide future research and support policy development that minimise mental health barriers to ART adherence. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD420251102248.

Indexed as

Anti-HIV AgentsHIV InfectionsMedication AdherenceDeveloped CountriesHumansMental HealthResearch DesignSocial StigmaSystematic Reviews as TopicAnti-HIV AgentsHealth EquityHIV & AIDSMedication AdherenceMENTAL HEALTHPsychosocial InterventionTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID42020120
PMCPMC13110552

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.