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Efficacy of a Family-Based Intervention for HIV Prevention with Hispanic Adolescents with Same Gender Sexual Behaviors

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Abstract

Despite the availability of efficacious and effective family-based interventions, such interventions are scarce for sexual minority adolescents, particularly among ethnic/racial minorities. Prior to creating an entirely new intervention, a prudent first step may be to determine if existing interventions are efficacious in reducing risk behaviors in sexual minority adolescents. This study assesses the relative efficacy of a general, family-based intervention (Familias Unidas) on improving substance and condom use outcomes among Hispanic adolescents with same gender sexual behaviors (HASGB). Data across five distinct trials of Familias Unidas were synthesized. HASGB were randomized either to an intervention (n = 94) or control condition (n = 100). Mediation analyses tested for intervention efficacy on past 90-day substance (cigarette/alcohol/illicit drug) use and condomless sex at last intercourse in HASGB participants and whether family functioning indicators—parent–adolescent communication, positive parenting, and parental monitoring of peers—mediated the effects. Post hoc analyses explored the moderating role of study target population based on prior risk. Familias Unidas did not impact substance use but significantly reduced condomless sex postintervention relative to the control condition. Hypothesized mediators did not explain this effect. Post hoc analyses indicated that the effect was significant in studies that recruited based on prior risk but not studies that recruited universal samples. Our results suggest that a general, family-based intervention may have positive effects on condom use in HASGB, particularly those with prior indicated risk. Identifying intervention components that drive this effect in addition to developing tailored content for HASGB is needed.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant Numbers F31DA040562, R01DA025192, R01DA025894, R01DA017462), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Grant Number U01PS0000671), and National Institute of Mental Health (Grant Number R01MH63042).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 966, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Manuel A. Ocasio

  2. Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 NW 14th Street, 10th floor (R-669), Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Alyssa Lozano, Tae Kyoung Lee, Daniel J. Feaster & Adam Carrico

  3. School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Miami, 5030 Brunson Dr, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

    Guillermo Prado

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  1. Manuel A. Ocasio
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  2. Alyssa Lozano
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  5. Adam Carrico
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  6. Guillermo Prado
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Correspondence to Manuel A. Ocasio.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (University of Miami Institutional Review Board, 20150665) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Ocasio, M.A., Lozano, A., Lee, T.K. et al. Efficacy of a Family-Based Intervention for HIV Prevention with Hispanic Adolescents with Same Gender Sexual Behaviors. Prev Sci 23, 119–129 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01272-1

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