Development of a Life Skills Intervention for Young Adolescents Perinatally-Infected With HIV and Their Caregivers

During this phase of the study, a focus group will be conducted with young adolescents perinatally infected with HIV and with their caregivers to develop and evaluate the content of the proposed intervention. The purpose of the focus groups is to identify key issues and challenges that often face young adolescents perinatally infected with HIV and their caregivers as well as to elicit suggestions to enhance the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed intervention. The focus groups will be audio recorded and transcribed and reviewed by all involved in future protocol development. Themes will be pulled directly from the focus groups to guide examples and areas of emphasis in the intervention. In addition, proposed measures will be administered to the adolescents and their caregivers and assessed for appropriateness for this population.