Christina Laurenzi
Biographic Data
| ID | 1737425 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Christina Laurenzi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Christina |
| FAMILY NAME | Laurenzi |
| SIGNATURE | LAURENZI C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Stellenbosch University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9648-4473 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Experiences of Children with Intentional Injury in a Low-Resource Setting in South Africa
The influence of social support on the relationship between HIV-related stigma, mental health, and suicidality among young women living with HIV in South Africa
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) living with HIV are at increased risk of developing suicidality. Yet little is known about the effects of HIV-related stigma, mental health challenges and social support on suicidality among AGYW living with HIV. We analysed cross-sectional data from 711 AGYW living with HIV who participated in two large prospective South African cohort studies, Mzantsi Wakho (2017–2018) and HEY BABY (2018–2019). Standardis…
“It’s a very, very thorny issue … ”
Knowing one's HIV status is associated with better outcomes for children and adolescents living with HIV (CALHIV). The World Health Organization (2021) recommends that adolescents be counselled about the potential benefits and risks of disclosing their HIV status. CALHIV who are fully disclosed to by an appropriate age have better retention in care and better psychosocial outcomes. Most disclosures occur in health system settings, with healthcare…
Echoes of crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic caused 10.5 million children and adolescents worldwide to lose a caregiver, with South Africa facing this crisis alongside the world's largest HIV epidemic. This study examines how overlapping crises shape HIV-related risk behaviours and mental health among affected young people. Using longitudinal data from 389 participants aged 9-18; researchers assessed HIV risk behaviours, mental health symptoms and social risks at two t…
Health Action in ScHools for a Thriving Adolescent Generation (HASHTAG)
Schools play a crucial role in supporting adolescent mental health, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where young people face structural and societal challenges. This study explores the feasibility and acceptability of the Health Action in Schools for a Thriving Adolescent Generation (HASHTAG), a multilevel intervention for at-risk adolescents aged 13–14 in South Africa. HASHTAG includes two components: thriving environment …
Interventions Supporting Disclosure Among Children and Adolescents Living with HIV
HIV status disclosure remains a persistent challenge for children and adolescents aged 6-19 years. Disclosure is critical to improving treatment adherence, viral suppression, and psychosocial wellbeing, and promoting informed decision-making. This scoping review aimed to identify evidence on interventions focused on disclosing children's and adolescents' HIV statuses to them, and those supporting them with onward disclosure. We conducted a global…
Conducting ethical research with young mothers
Introduction Adolescent engagement can enhance research by offering opportunities for empowerment and equity, and increasing relevance. However, to be effective, engagement should uphold ethical principles—particularly for adolescents who are exposed to adversities, including those who become mothers at a young age. Methods and results We share five key insights in this paper from our ongoing work with young mothers living with HIV between 16–20 …
Determinants of Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Among Young Mothers Living with HIV
Adolescent girls living with HIV are at higher risk of poor HIV treatment outcomes than older women living with HIV. However, little is known about how age at first birth influences their adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART). Using South African data from a cross-sectional study of 311 young mothers living with HIV (N = 311, mean age 19.7 ± 1.92 years, follow-up = 2017-2018), we examined the association between age at first birth (< 18 ver…
Understanding the burden of Covid-19 orphanhood and caregiver loss among children and adolescents living in South Africa
Perspectives from the frontline
Background: Nurses have a critical role to play in the delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to adolescents and young people. Nurses’ interactions with adolescents and young people can shape sexual and reproductive behaviours and outcomes, including willingness to access and engage with healthcare services. However, little research from low- and middle-income contexts has explored nurses’ firsthand perspectives regarding their…
Development of a school-based programme for mental health promotion and prevention among adolescents in Nepal and South Africa
Introduction: Adolescence is a critical time for mental health promotion and prevention and establishing healthy behaviours. Implementing universal, school-based psychosocial interventions can improve short- and long-term health trajectories for adolescents. While these interventions may offer important opportunities for fostering skills and relationships, few school-based interventions have been developed for and tested in low- and middle-income…
How do new crises impact HIV risk behaviour – exploring HIV risk behaviour according to Covid-19-related orphanhood status in South Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in high death rates globally, and over 10.5 million children lost a parent or primary caregiver. Because HIV-related orphanhood has been associated with elevated HIV risk, we sought to examine HIV risk in children affected by COVID-19 orphanhood. Four hundred and twenty-one children and adolescents were interviewed, measuring seven HIV risk behaviours: condom use, age-disparate sex, transactional sex, multiple partn…
Shared experiences, shared support
Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by significant changes, increasing the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Understanding how youth engage with mental health resources is essential. This study explored the role of interpersonal relationships-including peer-to-peer, adult-youth, parent, teacher and mentor relationships, and interactions with mental health professionals-in shaping youth mental health …
Exploring the impact of a maternal support grant to improve mental health and food security amongst pregnant women in South Africa during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Social protection during pregnancy may support pregnant women struggling to meet basic needs to ensure a healthy pregnancy and buffer negative impacts of multiple adversities. We assessed the effect of a bimonthly digital food voucher, delivered to pregnant women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in the Cape Town area, on their mental health, hunger, and dietary diversity. Pregnant women from antenatal clinics in specific high‐poverty areas were invit…
Social scripts of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Zambia
Adolescent girls and young women ages 15-24 experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), underpinned by gender and social norms that shape their transitions to adulthood. For interventions that seek to leverage and build on existing infrastructure for health service provision, it is important to understand how gender norms operate in the background and how they shape service engagement or non-engagement. In formative work for our project…
Resilience among young mothers affected by HIV in South Africa
While growing evidence has documented risks and resilience to HIV and poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among young women, young mothers’ abilities to respond to and overcome challenges have been understudied. Developing appropriate methodologies to measure resilience in the context of HIV, especially among young mothers, is a critical first step to filling this gap. We aimed to improve the relevance, and comprehensibility of an open-acce…
Identifying Adolescents at Highest Risk of ART Non-adherence, Using the World Health Organization-Endorsed HEADSS and HEADSS+ Checklists
Brief tools are necessary to identify adolescents at greatest risk for ART non-adherence. From the WHO's HEADSS/HEADSS+ adolescent wellbeing checklists, we identify constructs strongly associated with non-adherence (validated with viral load). We conducted interviews and collected clinical records from a 3-year cohort of 1046 adolescents living with HIV from 52 South African government facilities. We used least absolute shrinkage and selection op…
A mixed-methods feasibility study of Nyamekela4Care
In South Africa, health and care service providers (SPs) face many interconnected challenges at work, including inadequate training and supervision and high levels of burnout. Nyamekela4Care (N4C) was developed as an integrated intervention for SP teams, to support their ability to provide high-quality care through providing a structure for operating regular team meetings that includes training, empathic skills development, administration, case s…
Enhancing a peer supporter intervention for young mothers living with HIV in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia
Young mothers living with HIV (YMHIV) experience heightened risks to their mental health, as their transition to adulthood is marked by social stigma, health and socioeconomic challenges. Targeted psychosocial interventions may improve the mental health of YMHIV; however, no evidence-based interventions have been developed for this group. Peer support models, more common for youth living with HIV, show promise as a design to reach YMHIV in a non-…
Community health workers' experiences of supervision in maternal and child health programmes in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Maternal and child health programmes often use Community Health Workers (CHWs) to help address poor access to health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Supervision has long been recognised as a critical ingredient of successful CHW programmes, yet it is often reported as either of poor quality or absent. There is little research on CHWs' own perception of supervision and to the best of our knowledge, there are no revie…
Safe spaces, vocational training, and prevention programs protect young Ugandan women
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Uganda, especially those based in rural Africa, experience multiple interrelated adversities that may place them at risk of HIV, alcohol abuse, and being dependent on inequitable power relationships with men for survival and income. With funding from the DREAMS initiative in Africa, a multi-component, community-based intervention was designed to optimize AGYW’s abilities to care for themselves. From 2016…
Benefits and challenges of community‐based multi‐month dispensing of antiretroviral treatment in Zimbabwe
Sub-Saharan Africa carries the highest burden of HIV, with approximately 70% of all people living with HIV (PLWH) globally living in this region. The provision of antiretroviral treatment (ART) significantly affects already overburdened health systems, which need to accommodate large volumes of ART patients while facing a shortage of professional health workers, infrastructure challenges and medical resources. Finding alternative ways to provide …
Associations between caregiver mental health and young children’s behaviour in a rural Kenyan sample
Anxiety and stress were associated with poorer child behavioural outcomes. Our sample reflected a higher prevalence of caregiving adults with mental health symptomology than previous estimates from Kenya, with few high-symptom caregivers seeking support. We discuss further implications for programming and health services delivery
Family disability, poverty and parenting stress
Our findings highlight the importance of developing a comprehensive understanding of the stressors facing households with a disabled member, particularly if that member is a child, so that supportive interventions can adequately cater to the needs of caregivers, and their children, in the context of poverty
Instructive roles and supportive relationships
These findings highlight the important roles that CHWs can assume in providing both instructive and supportive care to clients; as deepening relationships may be key for encouraging behavior change, these findings pinpoint the need to bolster training and support for CHWs in similar programs. They also emphasize the importance of integrating more channels for client feedback into existing programs, to ensure that clients' voices are heard and acc…
Balancing roles and blurring boundaries
As demand for health services grows, task-shifting to lay health workers has become an attractive solution to address shortages in human resources. Community health workers (CHWs), particularly in low-resource settings, play critical roles in promoting equitable healthcare among underserved populations. However, CHWs often shoulder additional burdens as members of the same communities in which they work. We examined the experiences of a group of …
How do pregnant women and new mothers navigate and respond to challenges in accessing health care? Perspectives from rural South Africa
Social scripts of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Zambia
Adolescent girls and young women ages 15-24 experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), underpinned by gender and social norms that shape their transitions to adulthood. For interventions that seek to leverage and build on existing infrastructure for health service provision, it is important to understand how gender norms operate in the background and how they shape service engagement or non-engagement. In formative work for our project…
Associations between young children’s exposure to household violence and behavioural problems
Little is known about how young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience violence in their homes, and how different types of household violence may affect child development. This study reports on levels of exposure to household violence and associations with child behavioural outcomes in preschool-aged children in western Kenya. A sample of 465 caregivers, whose children (n = 497) attended early learning centres supported b…
Consistent Provisions Mitigate Exposure to Sexual Risk and HIV Among Young Adolescents in South Africa
Exposure to sexual risk in early adolescence strongly predicts HIV infection, yet evidence for prevention in young adolescents is limited. We pooled data from two longitudinal South African surveys, with adolescents unexposed to sexual risk at baseline (n = 3662). Multivariable logistic regression tested associations between intermittent/consistent access to eight provisions and reduced sexual risk exposure. Participants were on average 12.8 year…
Food Insecurity, Maternal Mental Health, and Domestic Violence
Balancing roles and blurring boundaries
As demand for health services grows, task-shifting to lay health workers has become an attractive solution to address shortages in human resources. Community health workers (CHWs), particularly in low-resource settings, play critical roles in promoting equitable healthcare among underserved populations. However, CHWs often shoulder additional burdens as members of the same communities in which they work. We examined the experiences of a group of …
How do pregnant women and new mothers navigate and respond to challenges in accessing health care? Perspectives from rural South Africa
Associations between caregiver mental health and young children’s behaviour in a rural Kenyan sample
Anxiety and stress were associated with poorer child behavioural outcomes. Our sample reflected a higher prevalence of caregiving adults with mental health symptomology than previous estimates from Kenya, with few high-symptom caregivers seeking support. We discuss further implications for programming and health services delivery
Family disability, poverty and parenting stress
Our findings highlight the importance of developing a comprehensive understanding of the stressors facing households with a disabled member, particularly if that member is a child, so that supportive interventions can adequately cater to the needs of caregivers, and their children, in the context of poverty
Instructive roles and supportive relationships
These findings highlight the important roles that CHWs can assume in providing both instructive and supportive care to clients; as deepening relationships may be key for encouraging behavior change, these findings pinpoint the need to bolster training and support for CHWs in similar programs. They also emphasize the importance of integrating more channels for client feedback into existing programs, to ensure that clients' voices are heard and acc…
A mixed-methods feasibility study of Nyamekela4Care
In South Africa, health and care service providers (SPs) face many interconnected challenges at work, including inadequate training and supervision and high levels of burnout. Nyamekela4Care (N4C) was developed as an integrated intervention for SP teams, to support their ability to provide high-quality care through providing a structure for operating regular team meetings that includes training, empathic skills development, administration, case s…
Enhancing a peer supporter intervention for young mothers living with HIV in Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia
Young mothers living with HIV (YMHIV) experience heightened risks to their mental health, as their transition to adulthood is marked by social stigma, health and socioeconomic challenges. Targeted psychosocial interventions may improve the mental health of YMHIV; however, no evidence-based interventions have been developed for this group. Peer support models, more common for youth living with HIV, show promise as a design to reach YMHIV in a non-…
Community health workers' experiences of supervision in maternal and child health programmes in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Maternal and child health programmes often use Community Health Workers (CHWs) to help address poor access to health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Supervision has long been recognised as a critical ingredient of successful CHW programmes, yet it is often reported as either of poor quality or absent. There is little research on CHWs' own perception of supervision and to the best of our knowledge, there are no revie…
Safe spaces, vocational training, and prevention programs protect young Ugandan women
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Uganda, especially those based in rural Africa, experience multiple interrelated adversities that may place them at risk of HIV, alcohol abuse, and being dependent on inequitable power relationships with men for survival and income. With funding from the DREAMS initiative in Africa, a multi-component, community-based intervention was designed to optimize AGYW’s abilities to care for themselves. From 2016…
Benefits and challenges of community‐based multi‐month dispensing of antiretroviral treatment in Zimbabwe
Sub-Saharan Africa carries the highest burden of HIV, with approximately 70% of all people living with HIV (PLWH) globally living in this region. The provision of antiretroviral treatment (ART) significantly affects already overburdened health systems, which need to accommodate large volumes of ART patients while facing a shortage of professional health workers, infrastructure challenges and medical resources. Finding alternative ways to provide …
Resilience among young mothers affected by HIV in South Africa
While growing evidence has documented risks and resilience to HIV and poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among young women, young mothers’ abilities to respond to and overcome challenges have been understudied. Developing appropriate methodologies to measure resilience in the context of HIV, especially among young mothers, is a critical first step to filling this gap. We aimed to improve the relevance, and comprehensibility of an open-acce…
Identifying Adolescents at Highest Risk of ART Non-adherence, Using the World Health Organization-Endorsed HEADSS and HEADSS+ Checklists
Brief tools are necessary to identify adolescents at greatest risk for ART non-adherence. From the WHO's HEADSS/HEADSS+ adolescent wellbeing checklists, we identify constructs strongly associated with non-adherence (validated with viral load). We conducted interviews and collected clinical records from a 3-year cohort of 1046 adolescents living with HIV from 52 South African government facilities. We used least absolute shrinkage and selection op…
Perspectives from the frontline
Background: Nurses have a critical role to play in the delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to adolescents and young people. Nurses’ interactions with adolescents and young people can shape sexual and reproductive behaviours and outcomes, including willingness to access and engage with healthcare services. However, little research from low- and middle-income contexts has explored nurses’ firsthand perspectives regarding their…
Development of a school-based programme for mental health promotion and prevention among adolescents in Nepal and South Africa
Introduction: Adolescence is a critical time for mental health promotion and prevention and establishing healthy behaviours. Implementing universal, school-based psychosocial interventions can improve short- and long-term health trajectories for adolescents. While these interventions may offer important opportunities for fostering skills and relationships, few school-based interventions have been developed for and tested in low- and middle-income…
How do new crises impact HIV risk behaviour – exploring HIV risk behaviour according to Covid-19-related orphanhood status in South Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in high death rates globally, and over 10.5 million children lost a parent or primary caregiver. Because HIV-related orphanhood has been associated with elevated HIV risk, we sought to examine HIV risk in children affected by COVID-19 orphanhood. Four hundred and twenty-one children and adolescents were interviewed, measuring seven HIV risk behaviours: condom use, age-disparate sex, transactional sex, multiple partn…
Shared experiences, shared support
Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by significant changes, increasing the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Understanding how youth engage with mental health resources is essential. This study explored the role of interpersonal relationships-including peer-to-peer, adult-youth, parent, teacher and mentor relationships, and interactions with mental health professionals-in shaping youth mental health …
Exploring the impact of a maternal support grant to improve mental health and food security amongst pregnant women in South Africa during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Social protection during pregnancy may support pregnant women struggling to meet basic needs to ensure a healthy pregnancy and buffer negative impacts of multiple adversities. We assessed the effect of a bimonthly digital food voucher, delivered to pregnant women during the COVID‐19 pandemic in the Cape Town area, on their mental health, hunger, and dietary diversity. Pregnant women from antenatal clinics in specific high‐poverty areas were invit…
Social scripts of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Zambia
Adolescent girls and young women ages 15-24 experience high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), underpinned by gender and social norms that shape their transitions to adulthood. For interventions that seek to leverage and build on existing infrastructure for health service provision, it is important to understand how gender norms operate in the background and how they shape service engagement or non-engagement. In formative work for our project…
Conducting ethical research with young mothers
Introduction Adolescent engagement can enhance research by offering opportunities for empowerment and equity, and increasing relevance. However, to be effective, engagement should uphold ethical principles—particularly for adolescents who are exposed to adversities, including those who become mothers at a young age. Methods and results We share five key insights in this paper from our ongoing work with young mothers living with HIV between 16–20 …
Determinants of Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence Among Young Mothers Living with HIV
Adolescent girls living with HIV are at higher risk of poor HIV treatment outcomes than older women living with HIV. However, little is known about how age at first birth influences their adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART). Using South African data from a cross-sectional study of 311 young mothers living with HIV (N = 311, mean age 19.7 ± 1.92 years, follow-up = 2017-2018), we examined the association between age at first birth (< 18 ver…
Understanding the burden of Covid-19 orphanhood and caregiver loss among children and adolescents living in South Africa
Experiences of Children with Intentional Injury in a Low-Resource Setting in South Africa
Medicine (21 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Nursing (12 works) · Psychiatry (12 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (11 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (11 works) · Mental health (11 works) · Environmental health (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Psychological intervention (8 works)