title: Youth in transition: life skills among perinatally HIV-infected and HIV-exposed adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine mastery of life skills necessary for independent adulthood among perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) and perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHIV-) youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited from four medical centers in New York City as part of a longitudinal study. Data for this article came from interviews of 150 PHIV+ and 95 PHIV- youth (age 13-24 years) and their caregivers. Life skills mastery was assessed using the Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessment (ACLSA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PHIV+ youth had lower daily living skill mastery than PHIV- youth according to both youth and caregivers, and lower self-care mastery according to caregiver report. No HIV-status group differences were found in social relationships scores, but PHIV- youth had higher scores than an ACLSA benchmark sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PHIV+ youth may need supportive services in daily living and self-care needs to transition into adulthood. Normal-to-high functioning in social relationships may be important for learning to live independently.
authors.affiliation: PhD, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Box 15, New York, NY 10032, USA. cam14@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Pearlstein
authors.forename: Claude A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mellins
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dolezal
authors.forename: Katherine S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Elkington
authors.forename: E Karina
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Santamaria
authors.forename: Cheng-Shiun
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Elaine J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Abrams
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology* / Q000635:transmission; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012648:Self Care; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescence; life skills; pediatric HIV; young adult transition