Four-year behavioral outcomes of an intervention for parents living with HIV and their adolescent children

Objective: The adjustment of parents living with HIV (PLH) and their adolescent children was examined over 4 years in response to an intervention. Outcomes at 2 years had been previously published. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted, with a representative sample from New York City. Results: In the intervention condition, fewer adolescents became teenage parents, and conduct problems tended to be lower over 4 years than in the standard care condition. Fewer parents were drug dependent and tended to relapse into substance use or use passive coping styles compared with the standard care condition over 4 years. The time-trend analysis showed that the significant reductions in problem behaviors and emotional distress previously observed over 15-24 months in the intervention condition, then eroded over time and were non-significant at 48 months. Conclusions: Ongoing support and skills are needed to maintain intervention effects over longer periods.