"Too much boredom isn't a good thing": Adapting behavioral activation for substance use in a resource-limited South African HIV care setting.

South Africa has the largest HIV/AIDS burden globally. In South Africa, substance use is prevalent and interferes with HIV treatment adherence and viral suppression, and yet it is not routinely treated in HIV care. More research is needed to adapt scalable, evidence-based therapies for substance use for integration into HIV care in South Africa. Behavioral activation (BA), originally developed as an efficacious therapy for depression, has been feasibly used to treat depression in low- and middle-income countries and substance use in high-income settings. Yet, to date, there is limited research on using BA for substance use in low- and middle-income countries. Guided by the ADAPT-ITT framework, this study sought to adapt BA therapy for substance use in HIV care in South Africa. We conducted semistructured individual interviews among patients (n = 19) with moderate/severe substance use and detectable viral load, and HIV care providers and substance use treatment therapists (n = 11) across roles and disciplines at 2 clinic sites in a peri-urban area of Cape Town. We assessed patient and provider/therapist views on the appropriateness of the BA therapy model and sought feedback on isiXhosa-translated BA therapy components. Participants identified the central role of boredom in contributing to substance use and saw the BA therapy model as highly appropriate. Participants identified church and religious practices, sports, and yard/housework as relevant substance-free activities. These findings will inform adaptations to BA therapy for substance use and HIV medication adherence in this setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).