Research in western Kenya explores how young adults living with HIV use their personal experiences to support adolescents in care, highlighting the trust, emotional support and shared understanding that peer navigators bring to health services.
What they studied
Researchers interviewed 30 people connected to adolescent HIV care at two clinics in western Kenya through the AMPATH research network.
Participants included 11 current peer navigators, six former peer navigators and 13 healthcare workers who supervised them.
The study explored how peer navigators balanced their own experiences of living with HIV with their responsibilities to support other young people through treatment, disclosure and everyday challenges.
What the research found
Peer navigators described how their personal experience of living with HIV helped them connect with adolescents facing similar circumstances.
Three themes emerged from the interviews.
- Trust and disclosure. Navigators drew on their experiences to build understanding and reassure young people, while making careful decisions about when and how to share their own HIV status.
- Emotional support. Their work extended beyond explaining treatment or helping with appointments. Navigators supported adolescents through difficult personal experiences, often while managing their own wellbeing.
- Confidence and purpose. Helping others gave navigators a sense of responsibility, professional identity and confidence in their own futures.
The research also identified challenges related to financial security, personal safety, emotional demands and limited opportunities for career progression.
What this helps us understand
The study offers a closer look at what makes peer support valuable in HIV care: the combination of lived experience, personal connection and practical understanding of the challenges people face.
Peer navigators bring knowledge that cannot be gained through formal training alone. They understand the experience of managing treatment, navigating disclosure and building a life while living with HIV.
Their contributions also extend beyond what is easily captured in service records. Helping someone feel understood, supporting them through difficult decisions and maintaining a trusted relationship all require skill and emotional commitment.
One of the most meaningful findings is that peer navigation can be empowering for the people providing support as well as those receiving it. Navigators described finding purpose and confidence through their work.
The research also makes clear that this contribution deserves recognition and support. Peer-led care is built on relationships, but sustaining those relationships requires attention to the wellbeing, development and professional opportunities of the people providing them.
