Linkage to Care - Part II

ATN 066b consists of a cross-sectional evaluation of three groups of recently diagnosed HIV-infected adolescents including: (1) care non-initiation; (2) care initiation, no maintenance; and (3) care initiation with maintenance. Social, psychological and behavioral factors associated with HIV-related care-seeking will be assessed using an ACASI. Three recruitment strategies using a randomized permuted block list of possible sequences for HIV-infected youth not in care will be also compared. The ACASI instrument will be adapted from previously used instruments intended to retrospectively reconstruct the care-seeking process and to assess quality of life, concerns and expectations for care, satisfaction with care, and social-problem solving. Ideally, the ACASI will be administered during a single session and may take up to 90 minutes to complete. Participants who are unable to complete the ACASI in one session will be allowed up to 7 days after initiation to complete it. Completion of all study data collection, including accrual period, is expected to take approximately 12 months. Outcome measures will be classified as (1) care non-initiation; (2) care initiation, no maintenance; or (3) care initiation and maintenance. The assessment of recruitment strategies most effective for not in care youth will include: use of usual case-management approaches; snowball sampling and venue-based advertisement.