The long-term impact of AIDS-preventive interventions for delinquent and abused adolescents

This study examines whether cognitive/behavioral interventions that produced immediate changes in AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and intentions for coping with AIDS-risk situations among delinquents and abused adolescents, are capable of producing long-term benefits assessed at 9-12 months follow-up. Adolescents (N = 218) from 15 residential centers received an intensive nine-session HIV prevention program. Centers were randomly assigned to skills training, discussion-only, or control groups. Results showed that one intervention model, discussion groups, produced a long-term increase in knowledge about AIDS and higher reported intentions to cope with AIDS-risk situations. However, both skills-training and discussion groups did not produce a long-term reduction in the level of engagement in high-risk behaviors. Several reasons for these results are discussed, with emphasis on an explanation based on the theoretical perspective of life chances or life options.