Family Relations, HIV Infections, Mental Health, Physical Health, Risky Sexual Behavior, Substance Use
Conditions
Keywords
mothers living with HIV, family intervention, family functioning, conflict, Mental health, and physical health, Family relationships (functioning and conflict)
Brief summary
* Context: Mothers living with HIV (MLH) and their children face predictable challenges: maintaining physical and mental health, parenting while ill, and addressing HIV-related stressors. * Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a family-based intervention over time; to contrast the life adjustments of HIV-affected families and their non-HIV-affected neighbors in the current treatment era. * Design: Randomized controlled trial of MLH and a longitudinal comparison of MLH to a neighborhood cohort using random effect regression. * Participants and Intervention: MLH (n = 339) and their school-age children (n = 259) were randomly assigned to receive 1) an intervention of 16 sessions in a cognitive-behavioral, small-group format; or 2) control. MLH and their children were compared to non-HIV-affected families recruited at shopping markets. Participant retention was high: 84% at 6 months, 83% at 12 months, and 78% at 18 months. * Main Outcome Measures: Family functioning and conflict, mental and physical health, sexual behavior, and substance use.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCognitive-behavioral, small-group format sessions
The intervention was delivered in either English- or Spanish-speaking groups of 5 to 8 mothers living with HIV twice weekly for 1.5 to 2 hours each over eight weeks (n = 16 sessions).
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
University of California, Los Angeles
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
for Intervention/Control, mother living with HIV: * Mother or primary female caregiver * Enrolled in HIV-related clinical cares * At least one child between the age of 6 and 20 years Inclusion Criteria for neighborhood control, non-HIV-affected mother: * Mother or primary female caregiver * not HIV-positive * At least one child between the age of 6 and 20 years
Exclusion criteria
(Intervention/Control/Neighborhood): * Mother less than 18 years old * Unable or willing to give informed consent * Psychosis or neurological damage as judged by the investigator in consultation with clinical supervisor
Outcome results
None listed