Working with Families in the Era of HIV/AIDS

The purpose of this book is to encourage professionals to become involved in family-oriented services to prevent the spread of HIV and its consequences and to provide examples of strategies for mobilizing family resources in the prevention and adaptation to HIV and AIDS. The members of the NIMH Consortium on Families and HIV/AIDS have prepared these chapters building on their research and practice experience. Together some of the nation's most capable behavioral prevention and treatment scientists have developed these prevention programs based on sound scientific principles and are currently testing them in rigorous controlled trials in communities across the country. While these interventions have not yet been demonstrated to be effective, they have received rigorous peer review by independent scientists conducted under the auspices of the NIMH, and were considered worthy of research support. This book focuses on populations were HIV infection is now quickly spreading, and yet relatively little is know about family interventions with these populations. The prevention programs address the spectrum of programs to prevent the spread of HIV and its consequences. The HIV prevention programs are intended to promote greater responsibility in general, and thus encourage healthier lifestyles with respect to drug and sexual behavior among family members. Although not exclusively, a large proportion of the programs presented in this book were designed for African American populations and address the Prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS and its consequences. With that caveat, however, it should be noted that these interventions can also be adapted for use with other cultural groups, other chronic diseases, STDs and multiple family configurations.