Content validation of a mental wellness measuring instrument for adolescents living with HIV: a modified delphi study

A growing body of evidence suggests that improving the mental wellness of adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) will also result in improved adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), as well as improving their general health and wellbeing as they age into adulthood. However, to develop effective strategies and interventions aimed at improving mental wellness, we require age and culturally appropriate instruments to build an evidence base. Currently, there is a lack of mental wellness measures developed for ALHIV, especially in the African context. To address this gap, we developed a measure of mental wellness following modified guidelines set out by DeVellis [1] and Godfred et al. as a guiding framework [2]; (1) Identifying the gap, (2) Set the theoretical foundations and identify domains and (3); Instrument development and initial validation. For the first two steps, we conducted a systematic review, photovoice study and integrative review – which we briefly describe as the findings have been published. Following this we describe the processes to develop the instrument and to establish content validity through a modified Delphi Study. Through this process we were able to refine the instrument which will be subject to further testing. Implications and Contribution: This study aims to add to the body of knowledge on promoting mental health (mental wellness) among adolescents living with HIV in South Africa through developing an appropriate and valid measure of mental wellness for this population. This study reports on the results of a Delphi Study aimed at improving the content validity of the instrument Mental Wellness Measure for Adolescents Living with HIV (MWM-ALHIV).