Exploring unstructured parent–child communication about sex among African-American adolescents with HIV-positive mothers

ABSTRACT

Few studies have focused on the sexual health of HIV-affected adolescents despite their exposure to the same community-level factors that contributed to their parent’s status. Guided by an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, this study explored HIV-affected adolescents’ perceptions on the unstructured sexual health education received from their HIV-positive mothers and its influence on their decision-making and sexual health via six in-depth individual interviews with HIV-affected adolescents ages 15–17 years and a contextual focus group with eight HIV peer educators ages 13–18 years. Findings from this study (1) describe non-positive, HIV-affected adolescents’ perceptions of sexual health influenced by parent–child communication about sex and (2) identify deficiencies in sexual health education models available for the unique needs of HIV-affected families.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV/AIDS
• parent–child communication about sex
• adolescents
• maternal HIV
• sexual health

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge my dissertation committee for their valuable contributions to my study: Dr Sandra Edmonds Crewe, Dr Cudore L. Snell, Dr Anthony K. Wutoh, and Dr Tricia Bent-Goodley all of Howard University; Dr Tonya Perry-Mitchell of Alabama A& M University; and Dr James A. Peterson of The George Washington University.

Disclosure statement

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. No financial interests or benefits have arisen from this research. Findings from this research have been accepted for presentation at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo (2016, 2017), the Council on Social Work Education’s Annual Program Meeting (2016, 2017) and the Boston College Annual Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS (2016).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. No financial interests or benefits have arisen from this research.