A Couple-Based Relationship Strengthening HIV Intervention for Young Parents

Yale University

Status: Completed

Conditions: HIV

Treatments: Behavioral: Parenting Program Intervention; Behavioral: Relationship Strengthening HIV Prevention Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01643005

R34MH094354 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

1105008508

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study seeks to develop, implement, and assess an innovative 15-session couple-based intervention to be delivered in a group format to young parents that aims to strengthen relationships and reduce HIV risk. The ultimate goal of our intervention is to reduce HIV/STD risk (concurrency, number of partners, unprotected sex), strengthen relationships, and improve parenting among young parenting heterosexual couples.

Full description

This study develops a couple-based HIV prevention intervention that is innovative and important because it integrates an intervention that improves sexual health, relationship functioning, and parenting skills. Our intervention will be integrated with an existing community based parenting program. By targeting high risk heterosexual couples experiencing an important life transition that increases their stress, conflict, and sexual risk, the investigators can provide maximum benefit to the men, women, and children in our communities. Using the guiding framework of Attachment Theory and the principles of Emotion Focused Therapy, the investigators will directly address issues of emotion, intimacy,and relationship functioning to create an intervention that strengthens romantic relationships and reduces HIV risk behavior. The investigators will conduct a small pilot randomized controlled trial of 50 parenting couples randomized to either the relationship strengthening HIV prevention intervention or an active control. The intervention will last 15 weeks and each session will be approximately 1.5 hours long. The investigators will assess couples at baseline, 4-months, and 8-months.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Women's age between 14 and 25
• Men's age 14 or older
• Have a child that is 0-1 year old
• In a romantic relationship with the mother/father of the baby
• Not known to be HIV positive
• English speaking

Exclusion criteria

• Child older than 1 year
• HIV positive

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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100 participants in 2 patient groups

Active Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

For the active control group we will use Nurturing Parenting Groups currently being run by the community collaborator.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Parenting Program Intervention

Relationship Strengthening HIV Prevent.

Experimental group

Description:

The relationship strengthening HIV intervention will build on the structure of the Nurturing Parenting Groups and will be integrated so that participants will receive the Nurturing Parenting Groups plus the relationship strengthening HIV intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Relationship Strengthening HIV Prevention Intervention