Increasing parent involvement in youth HIV prevention: a randomized Caribbean study.
This article presents preliminary findings of a randomized HIV prevention study in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. The study centers on a family HIV workshop aimed at strengthening parenting skills that are empirically linked to reducing adolescent HIV exposure and other sexual risks. These skills include parental monitoring; educating youth about HIV, sex, and other sexually transmitted infections (STI's); and discussing cultural and interpersonal pressures to have sex. Participants include 180 primary caregivers and their 12-14-year-old adolescents randomized to either the Trinidad and Tobago family HIV Workshop (N = 92) or a general workshop (N = 88). Intervention and control group participants completed pretest and posttest measures on parenting and HIV risk outcomes. Compared to controls, intervention parents reported improvements in HIV knowledge (d = .79); attitudes toward AIDS (d = .42); general communication with adolescents (d = .94); conversations with adolescents about sex (d = .95); conversations about sexual risks and values (d = .43); monitoring of adolescents (d = .34); conflicts with adolescents (d = .30); and intensity of daily parenting hassles (d = .35). Intervention and control parents did not differ in behavioral control, use of positive parenting techniques, and expansion of support networks. Implications for addressing rising HIV risks among young people in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean are discussed.
Baptiste
Donna R
DR
University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60608, USA. baptiste@uic.edu
Kapungu
Chisina
C
Miller
Steve
S
Crown
Laurel
L
Henry
David
D
Martinez
Dona Da Costa
Dda C
Jo-Bennett
Karen
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014300:Trinidad and Tobago; D055815:Young Adult