Life Skills Intervention for Adolescents Perinatally Infected With HIV

University of North Carolina (UNC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: HIV Infections

Treatments: Behavioral: Life Skills Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT00272519

ATN 045b

Details and patient eligibility

About

The life skills intervention model is designed to help adolescents promote their physical and mental health through cognitive and behavioral techniques (e.g., problem solving, coping, and communication skills) designed to help them achieve social and personal competencies used to manage various life challenges.

Full description

One of the salient advantages of this intervention model is that it has been developed and implemented in several studies with adolescents. However, data concerning the effects of this model are much less extensive with adolescents perinatally infected with HIV. The proposed study is designed to address this gap in knowledge by conducting a pilot intervention tailoring the life skills intervention to the needs of young adolescents, perinatally infected with HIV, and to their primary caregivers. Given the emphasis on peer group interaction, the proposed intervention model also has the potential to reduce some of the social isolation imposed by the experiences related to HIV infection by creating opportunities for adolescents to interact with others who are managing comparable stressors and treatment regimens.

Enrollment: 16 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 14 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Clinically-identified HIV-1 infected participants 11-14 years of age and their primary caregivers.
• HIV status has been disclosed to the adolescent.
• Caregiver is the legal guardian of the adolescent as indicated by the medical team.
• Adolescent lives with the caregiver
• Adolescent and caregiver speak and understand English.

Exclusion criteria

• Caregiver consent or permission denied or adolescent does not assent.
• Adolescent diagnosed as mentally retarded as previously reported or confirmed through chart review.
• Adolescent and/or caregiver too medically fragile. Medically fragile is functionally defined as being physically unable to attend the group.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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16 participants in 1 patient group

Adolescent/caregiver dyads

Experimental group

Description:

Eight to ten adolescent/caregiver dyads

Treatment:

Behavioral: Life Skills Intervention