The cognitive development of children born to adolescent mothers –does child HIV status matter?

HIV, both directly and indirectly impacts on child development outcomes. The most severe impacts are for children living with HIV, although those children who are HIV exposed uninfected are also shown to have challenges though less severe. Little is known regarding the development of children born to adolescent mothers affected by HIV. COVID-19 has exacerbated vulnerabilities within our communities including an increase in unintended pregnancies among adolescents. Understanding the needs of this potentially vulnerable population and their children has become increasingly important to understand how this population can be best supported. These exploratory analyses aim to examine the cognitive development of children born to adolescent mothers comparing three groups: 1) children living with HIV, 2) children who are HIV exposed uninfected (HEU), and 3) children who are HIV unexposed (HU).