AIDSImpact.com:: - Santa Fe, USA 2011

Abstract #236 - Baseline and follow-up results for HIV+ Parents living in Zimbabwe and participating in a Coping Intervention (Project TALC) Phase II Comparative Effectiveness Trial.
Authors: Presenting Author: Dr. Daniel Montaño - Battelle
Additional Authors: Dr. April Greek, Dr. Sally Nyandiya Bundy, Mr. Tinashe Muromo, Mr. Stephen Machokoto, Ms. Norest Beta, Ms. Rachel Gatsi,
Aim: The adapted Project TALC (Parent Intervention Programme [PIP]) was designed to be implemented and tested among a cohort of 400 Zimbabwean families. A Phase II Comparative Effectiveness Trial (CET) examined the effects of the intervention via a cohort of parents and their adolescent children accrued for a Baseline and 3 post-intervention assessments.
Method / Issue: A Census enumerated 8,256 housing units to identify families living with 12-18 year olds. 4,297 families had a resident parent and biological child age 12-18 years (N=8,509 children). 3,036 (71%) parents in eligible families participated in a Health Screening (HS), 1,823 (60%) agreed to an HIV test. 581 parents representing 534 families were identified as HIV+ and became eligible for accrual into the CET. 1,007 individuals provided Baseline results; were then randomized by family group (both adult and child had to have a Baseline assessment) into the two arms of the CET, a Coping Arm and a Capacity Arm. 93% follow-up rates were achieved with the 6-month assessment.
Results / Comments: At the 6-month follow-up, adults from the coping intervention reported significantly more often than adults from the capacity intervention that they have talked with their children about family matters, nutrition, body changes and puberty, children’s relationships with their boy/girlfriends, growing up and body changes, sex and sexuality, abstinence or delaying sex until marriage, contraception, going to the clinic with health questions, STDs including HIV/AIDS, HIV testing and AIDS treatment and anti-retrovirals (ARVs), as well as about caring for people with HIV or AIDS (all significant p<.05). In addition, adults from the coping intervention reported significantly more often than adults from the capacity intervention, going to a church, mosque or other place of worship, trusting their belief in God, visiting friends or depending on others when they needed cheering up and social support (all significant p<.05). Additionally, parents from the coping vs. capacity intervention reported being able to solve problems, rated their quality of life higher, using various coping behaviors to help alleviate negative feelings about HIV/AIDS (significant p<.05), but did not differ in overall ratings of health, satisfaction with health status, or ability to perform daily activities. Process Evaluation measures showed that almost all adults in the capacity and none from the coping group indicated they acquired various homemaking and business skills; compared to almost all adults in the coping and none in the capacity group indicating that they acquired personal skills to cope with negative feelings, increase their confidence, how to disclose their HIV status, how to make a will, as well as social support, communication and child raising skills, indicating no contamination in intervention exposures across groups.
Discussion: Our analyses show significant effects across a broad variety of coping, quality of life, social support measures among parents who attended the coping intervention compared to the parents who attended the capacity intervention at the 6-month follow-up. These analyses are encouraging; showing the beginning of positive effects for teaching coping skills among parents in a high HIV prevalence country, and are similar to results from Rotheram-Borus and her team. This is the first international adaptation of Project TALC.
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