Typology of Adherence in Adolescents: Phase II

A number of factors influence HIV-positive adolescents' acceptance of and willingness to continue taking anti-HIV medicines. These factors include mental health and substance abuse issues, barriers such as lack of medical insurance, and cognitive-behavioral barriers (such as a person's impression of the impact of the medicines on his/her health and a person's sense of his/her ability to continue taking the medications prescribed). The purpose of this study is to use a survey to determine how common specific barriers are that prevent HIV positive adolescents from taking their anti-HIV medicines and if those barriers cluster together. The information collected will be used to develop and validate a schema for classifying HIV medication adherence by barriers to adherence or clusters of barriers to adherence. This classification schema could then be used in the development of interventions that better meet the needs of HIV-infected youth.