Assessing the Effects of a Complementary Parent Intervention and Prior Exposure to a Preadolescent Program of HIV Risk Reduction for Mid-Adolescents

Objectives. We (1) evaluated the impact of an evidence-based HIV prevention program with and without a parent component among mid-adolescents living in the Caribbean and (2) determined the effect of prior receipt of a related intervention during preadolescence on intervention response.Methods. A randomized, controlled 4-cell trial of a 10-session, theory-based HIV prevention intervention involving 2564 Bahamian grade-10 youths (some of whom had received a comparable intervention in grade 6) was conducted (2008–2011). Randomization occurred at the level of the classroom with follow-up at 6, 12, and 18 months after intervention. The 3 experimental conditions all included the youths’ curriculum and either a youth–parent intervention emphasizing adolescent–parent communication, a parent-only goal-setting intervention, or no parent intervention.Results. An intervention delivered to mid-adolescents in combination with a parent–adolescent sexual-risk communication intervention increased HIV/AIDS knowledge, condo...