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Effects of a Parent-Focused HIV Prevention Intervention for Young Men Who have Sex with Men: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

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Abstract

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) face the highest risk of HIV infection among adolescents, yet effective sexual health interventions for this population are limited. Parents and Adolescents Talking about Healthy Sexuality (PATHS) is an online intervention for parents designed to improve communication about HIV and increase behaviors supportive of YMSM sexual health. We conducted an RCT of PATHS with sixty-one parent-son dyads recruited online (sons were cisgender, gay or bisexual, ages 14–22). Assessments were completed at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and over the next 3 months. Per parent and son report, in the 3 months following the intervention, parents assigned to PATHS engaged in more HIV discussion, condom instruction, and facilitation of HIV testing. Parents also reported significant pre- to immediate-post intervention changes in attitudes, skills, and behavioral intentions relevant to engaging with their sons about sexual health. Parents are an untapped but promising resource in preventing HIV among YMSM.

This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04018573).

Resumen

Los hombres jóvenes que tienen sexo con hombres (HJSH) estan expuestos al mayor riesgo de infección del VIH entre los adolescentes, sin embargo, las intervenciones efectivas de salud sexual para esta población son limitadas. Padres y Adolescentes Hablando sobre la Sexualidad Saludable (PATHS) es una intervención en línea para padres, diseñada para mejorar la comunicación sobre el VIH y aumentar los comportamientos que apoyan la salud sexual de los hombres jóvenes que tienen sexo con hombres. Realizamos un ensayo controlado aleatorizado de PATHS con sesenta y uno díadas de padres e hijos reclutados en línea (los hijos eran cisgénero, homosexuales o bisexuales, de la edad de 14 a 22 años). Las evaluaciones se completaron al inicio, inmediatamente después de la intervención y durante los siguientes 3 meses. De acuerdo al informe de padres e hijos, en los tres meses después de la intervención, los padres asignados a PATHS tuvieron más discusiones sobre el VIH, instrucciones sobre el uso de los condones y facilitación de pruebas del VIH. Los padres también reportaron cambios significativos antes y después de la intervención en actitudes, habilidades e intenciones de comportamiento acerca de su involucración con la salud sexual de sus hijos. Los padres son un recurso inexplorado, pero prometedor en la prevención del VIH entre HJSH.

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Data Availability

Deidentified individual participant data (including data dictionaries) will be made available upon publication to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal for use in achieving the goals of the approved proposal. Proposals should be submitted to davidhuebner@gwu.edu.

Code Availability

NA.

Abbreviations

YMSM:

Young men who have sex with men

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

RCT:

Randomized controlled trial

OR:

Odds ratio

PATHS:

Parents and Adolescents Talking about Healthy Sexuality

ANCOVA:

Analysis of covariance

CI:

Credibility interval

PEQ:

Parent experiences questionnaire

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Acknowledgements

This research has been facilitated by the services and resources provided by the District of Columbia Center for AIDS Research, an NIH funded program (P30AI117970), which is supported by the following NIH Co-Funding and Participating Institutes and Centers: NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, NIDDK, NIMHD, NIDCR, NINR, FIC and OAR. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Funding

All phases of the study were supported by NIMH (Grant No. R34-MH112445). The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    David M. Huebner & Andrew P. Barnett

  2. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

    Brian R. W. Baucom

  3. Duke University, Durham, USA

    Vincent Guilamo-Ramos

  4. Department of Prevention and Community Health, George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20052, USA

    David M. Huebner

Authors
  1. David M. Huebner
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  2. Andrew P. Barnett
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  3. Brian R. W. Baucom
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  4. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos
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Contributions

DMH conceptualized the study, designed the intervention, supervised study execution, collaborated in analysis, and drafted the manuscript. APB collaborated with intervention design and study execution and reviewed drafts of the manuscript. BRWB developed the analytic plan, executed analyses, drafted study results, and reviewed drafts of the manuscript. VG-R consulted during study and intervention design and reviewed drafts of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David M. Huebner.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Dr. Guilamo-Ramos reports grants and personal fees from ViiV Healthcare, outside the submitted work, and he serves as a member of both the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents and as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Latino Commission on AIDS. None of the other authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethical Approval

All study procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at George Washington University.

Consent to Participate

All participants provided informed consent (or assent for minors) to participate.

Consent for Publication

NA.

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Huebner, D.M., Barnett, A.P., Baucom, B.R.W. et al. Effects of a Parent-Focused HIV Prevention Intervention for Young Men Who have Sex with Men: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. AIDS Behav 27, 1502–1513 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03885-1

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