Conclusions
depression, anxiety
After applying a quasi-experimental weighting approach, the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among PLHIV starting ART in Tanzania during COVID-19 was much higher than before the pandemic. Although overall measures of depression and anxiety were measured using different, validated scales, the concurrent increases in similarly measured mental health indicators lends confidence to these findings and warrants further research to assess the impact of COVID-19 on mental health among PLHIV. Contemporaneous with additional, rigorous research on the mental health status of PLHIV, program implementers may wish to consider whether enhanced mental health support via evidence-based interventions, such as those discussed above, are appropriate to adopt or bolster in the post-COVID pandemic period for the various populations of PLHIV they serve.