Maternal Substance Use and HIV Status: Adolescent Risk and Resilience

• NCJ Number: 223232
• Journal: Journal of Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 389-405
• Author(s): Noelle R. Leonard; Marya Viorst Gwadz; Charles M. Cleland; Pooja C. Vekaria; Bill Ferns
• Date Published: June 2008
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01-12113
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study describes a number of critical risk and protective factors among urban adolescents whose mothers experience problem drinking and/drug use, both HIV-infected and uninfected, it documents patterns of emerging sexual and substance use risk behavior and mental health problems among these youth, and explores potential differences between the adolescents of HIV-infected and uninfected mothers.

Abstract

As hypothesized, maternal HIV status did not confer additional substance use or sexual risk behaviors or adjustment factors on urban adolescent children of mothers with problem drinking and drug use living in an HIV/AIDS epicenter. The results are consistent with the literature on the effects of maternal substance abuse on adolescent offspring. Youth exhibited patterns of emerging sexual and substance use risk behaviors and mental health problems as well as signs of resiliency. Intervention efforts continue to be needed for these youth of substance abusing mothers, both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected. Substance abuse and HIV infection are considered “twin epidemics,” women with HIV commonly have historical or ongoing alcohol and/or drug problems. This study focuses on the adolescent children of urban mothers with problem drinking and drug use, both HIV-infected and uninfected, from low socioeconomic backgrounds. It begins by describing the sample, specifically, demographic and background characteristics, risk and protective factors, behavioral functioning, and mental health problems of these adolescents. The main aim is to explore whether there are differences between the two subgroups of youth (youth of HIV-infected and uninfected mothers) in risk-taking behaviors, specifically substance use and sexual behavior and mental health functioning. It is hypothesized that both groups of adolescents would exhibit elevated rates of childhood maltreatment, mental health symptoms, and risk behavior in comparison to their peers in the general population. Tables, references