A parent-based intervention to prevent HIV among adolescent children of mothers living with HIV: the Ms. Now! Program

ABSTRACT

One group often overlooked by HIV prevention efforts is adolescent children of mothers living with HIV (MLH). Despite their potential vulnerability, very few evidence-based prevention programs exist for this population in the United States (U.S.) and elsewhere. The current study introduces a parent-based program adapted for families affected by HIV for the purpose of preventing adolescent HIV infection. Following a structured process of adaptation, 12 African American MLH-adolescent dyads were recruited from HIV clinics and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in a southeastern U.S. city to participate in a feasibility pilot evaluation of the adapted program (Moms Stopping It Now! [Ms. Now]). The intervention consisted of group and individual sessions implemented in a university setting and at participants’ homes, respectively. We determined feasibility through assessing participant acceptability and signs of intervention efficacy. Quantitative and qualitative process data revealed high levels of acceptability, as participants were largely satisfied and engaged with Ms. Now, and were willing to attend most sessions. In addition, positive intervention effects approaching medium to large effect sizes were observed for some protective parenting outcomes, including increases in parent–child relationship quality, parental monitoring, maternal HIV disclosure self-efficacy, and communication about maternal HIV infection. Other outcomes, namely communication about sex topics, did not show positive shifts due to ceiling effects and may be indicative of the pre-existing strengths these MLH possess. Ms. Now’s approach and further refinement is discussed in the context of strengthening families affected by HIV. Moreover, we recommend that policy aimed at program development consider jointly targeting these populations (MLH and adolescents) due to the unique benefits of family intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV
• mothers
• prevention
• adolescent
• parent-child communication

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the HIV and Families Research Lab at Georgia State University for their help on this project (Jennifer Williams, Karie Gaska, Jamee Carroll, Nada Goodrum, and Becky LeCroix), as well as Drs. Gabriel Kuperminc, Nadine Kaslow, and Erin Tully, who served on the first author’s dissertation committee and provided feedback on the study. We also thank the mothers and adolescents who participated in Ms. Now for their time and willingness to share their experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this manuscript was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health by [grant number MH098805] (PI: Tarantino). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.