PREVENTING HIV/AIDS IN TEEN MOTHERS AND THEIR PARTNERS

少女母亲有可能通过异性性行为感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病。 他们的亲密伴侣往往是十几岁的父亲，他们有多种艾滋病毒风险行为，包括性行为、非法吸毒、共用针头进行身体穿孔和纹身。 许多人有参与帮派和监禁的历史。 一夫一妻制关系和害怕伴侣的消极态度已被确定为少女母亲使用避孕套的重要障碍。 然而，初步研究表明：1）年轻的父亲并不认为他们的主要关系之外的性活动与他们的一夫一妻制地位相冲突; 2）据报道，在12个月内，养育青少年的夫妇有50%的分手率。 尽管青少年对关系稳定性存在误解，但目前的浪漫关系可能为建立与当前和未来伴侣保持安全性行为所需的技能提供了关键。将男性伴侣排除在科学评估的艾滋病毒预防计划之外是一个严重的研究空白。 本实验研究将评估一项由青少年父母参加的计划对他们安全性行为的影响。286对夫妇的样本将由高风险、主要是拉丁裔青年组成。 从洛杉矶县的其他学校招募来的夫妇将被随机分配到实验或控制条件下。 实验条件包括一个12小时的艾滋病毒预防计划，分6次进行。 课程，基于CDC模型“自豪！负责！“通过利用母亲的保护和父亲的责任感来促进更安全的性行为，对目标人群进行了调整和扩展。 活动包括在混合小组和性别分开的小组中进行小组讨论、互动游戏、技能培养练习（冲突和性谈判、避孕套的使用）以及艾滋病毒阳性母亲的介绍。 与性别和权力有关的文化问题贯穿始终。 控制条件是一个1小时的艾滋病教育会议（录像带，然后是一个简短的讨论时间）。 这些方案将在以社区为基础的环境中提供（例如，娱乐设施和图书馆）。参与者将通过在基线、干预后立即以及3个月、6个月和12个月随访时的个人访谈，对主要结局（性风险行为）和中间结局（与艾滋病毒预防相关的社会认知因素）进行评估。 据推测，通过解决性别和权力的问题，同时提供社会认知技能建设的学习经验的背景下，浪漫的关系，性冒险将减少在青少年的母亲和父亲。

Adolescent mothers are at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS through heterosexual sex. Their intimate partners are often teen fathers who engage in multiple HIV risk behaviors, including sexual behaviors, illicit drug use, and needle-sharing for body- piercing and tattoos. Many have a history of gang involvement and incarceration. Being in a monogamous relationship and fear of negative partner attitudes have been identified as important barriers to condom use for adolescent mothers. Yet, preliminary studies indicate that 1) young fathers do not perceive sexual activity outside their main relationship to conflict with their monogamous status; and 2) a 50 percent break-up rate within 12 months is reported for parenting adolescent couples. Despite teens' misperceptions about relationship stability, current romantic connections may provide the key to building skills needed to maintain safer sex with current and future partners. The exclusion of male partners from scientifically evaluated HIV prevention programs represents a serious research gap. This experimental study will evaluate the impact of a program attended by parenting adolescent couples on their safer sex practices. The sample of 286 couples will be composed of high-risk, predominantly Latino youth. Recruited from alternative schools in Los Angeles County, couples will be randomly assigned to the experimental or control condition. The experimental condition consists of a 12-hour HIV prevention program presented in 6 sessions. The curriculum, based on the CDC model "Be Proud! Be Responsible!" is adapted and expanded for the targeted population by using feelings of maternal protectiveness and paternal responsibility to promote safer sexual behaviors. Activities include small group discussions in combined and gender-separated groups, interactive games, skill-building exercises (conflict and sexual negotiation, condom use), and a presentation by an HIV- positive mother. Cultural issues related to gender and power are addressed throughout. The control condition is a 1-hour AIDS education session (videotape followed by a short discussion period). The programs will be offered in community-based settings (e.g., recreational facilities and libraries). Participants will be evaluated on primary outcomes (sexual risk behaviors) and intermediate outcomes (social cognitive factors related to HIV prevention) through individual interviews at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 3-, 6-, and 12- month follow-up. It is hypothesized that by addressing issues of gender and power while providing social-cognitive skill-building learning experiences within the context of a romantic relationship, sexual risk-taking will be reduced in adolescent mothers and fathers.