ABSTRACT
This study qualitatively examined the social-ecological stressors that youth experience during the first year following an HIV diagnosis. Thirty HIV-positive youth (16 males, 14 females) between the ages of 16–24 participated in either focus groups or individual interviews. All sessions were transcribed and themes were identified through cross-case and comparative analyses. Participants reported experiencing stressors within multiple social-ecological systems, including interactions with their families, sexual partners, health care providers, work, and school. The results from this study highlight the need for youth-focused services that assist with multiple layers of stressors during the first year following an HIV diagnosis.
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Acknowledgments
The Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) is funded by grant No. U01 HD040533–06 from the National Institutes of Health through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Bill Kappogianis, MD; Sonia Lee, PhD; Audrey Smith Rogers, PhD, MPH) with supplemental funding from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (Nicolette Borek, PhD), Mental Health (Susannah Allison, PhD; Pim Brouwers, PhD). We would like to thank Donna Futterman, MD, PI of the Adolescent Trials Unit at the Montefiore Medical Center and the staff of the Adolescent AIDS Program (Elizabeth Enriquez, Maria Campos); Jaime Martinez, MD, PI of the Adolescent Trials Unit at John Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and the staff of the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center (Lisa Henry-Reid, Kelly Bojan, Rachel Jackson); Irma Febo, MD, PI of the Adolescent Trials Unit and the staff at the Gamma Project, Cardiovascular Program, University of Puerto Rico (Evelyn Rivera and Hazel Ayala); and the staff at DePaul University, Department of Psychology (Eric Werner, Jessica Gehle, and Jason Johnson). ATN 055 has been scientifically reviewed by the ATN's Behavioral Leadership Group. We would also like to thank individuals from the ATN Data and Operations Center (Westat, Inc.) including Jim Korelitz, PhD, Barbara Driver, RN, MSN, and Protocol Specialist, Julie Davidson, MSN; and individuals from the ATN Coordinating Center at the University of Alabama including Craig Wilson, MD; Cindy Partlow, MEd; Marcia Berck, BA; and Pam Gore. We would also like to acknowledge the thoughtful input given by participants of our national and local Youth Community Advisory Boards. We would also like to thank the young women and men who participated in this study for their willingness to share their stories with us.