Facilitators and Barriers to Discussing HIV Prevention With Adolescents: Perspectives of HIV-Infected Parents

Abstract

Objectives We examined HIV-infected parents’ conversations about HIV prevention with their uninfected children, including what facilitated or hindered communication. Methods Parents with HIV/AIDS (n|=|90) who had children aged 10 to 18 years were recruited for a mixed method study from 2009 to 2010. Interviews assessed facilitators and barriers to discussing HIV prevention. A questionnaire identified the frequency and content of conversations, parental confidence level, and perceived importance of discussing preventive topics. Results Eighty-one percent of parents reported “sometimes” or “often” communicating about HIV prevention. A subset of parents found these conversations difficult; 44% indicated their desire for support. Facilitators to communication included utilizing support, focusing on the benefits of talking, and having a previous relationship with one's child. Barriers to discussions included fear of negative consequences, living in denial, and lacking a parental role model who discussed safer sex. Parents varied as to how they believed their HIV status affected communication. Those who did not disclose their HIV status to their children reported less frequent communication; self-efficacy partially mediated this relationship. Conclusions Findings highlighted the need for communication skills training that support HIV-infected parents in their efforts to discuss HIV-related information with adolescents.

Taking HIV Testing to Families: Designing a Family-Based Intervention to Facilitate HIV Testing, Disclosure, and Intergenerational Communication

“…Our intergenerational session emphasizes parents’ critical role in informing their adolescents about sex, including about their perspectives and values. Resonating with our formative research, which found that adolescents are receptive to communication with their parents, research also indicates that adolescents want to discuss sex with their parents but that parents need improved communication skills ( 77 , 78 ).…”

Missed opportunities for HIV prevention: Results of a qualitative study on mother-daughter communication

“…Literature on HIV risk in adult children of HIV positive mothers is limited. Protective factors in reducing HIV risk in African American women have consistently reported the importance of parent-child communication and family connectedness (Cederbaum, 2012; Cederbaum et al, 2013; Collins, Baiardi, Tate, & Rouen, 2015; Edwards, Reis & Weber, 2013; Hutchinson & Montgomery, 2007; Kaplan, Hormes, Wallace, Rountree, & Theall, 2016; Murphy, Roberts, & Herbeck, 2012; O’Sullivan, Dolezal, Brackis-Cott, Traeger, & Mellins, 2005). Among African American women, the mother-daughter bond has been cited as the most important relationship and describe mothers as the key person in providing information to them about health, sexuality, and HIV prevention (Cederbaum, 2012; Collins et al, 2015).…”

Clinical Questions in Online Health Communities

“…According to the literature so far, the role of community members has been heavily focused on psychosocial support [2,27,32], whereas the role of moderators has been focused on dealing with misinformation and community management in general [8,25,39]. Such dichotomous roles between community members and moderators place moderators as those who should play the “policing” roles, where moderators have to prune discussions that potentially produce misinformation.…”