HIV Prevention With Adolescents: Neurocognitive Deficits and Treatment Response

A baseline assessment is conducted, including a computer questionnaire assessing personality characteristics, attitudes toward and experiences with sex, alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes, among other things. The participant also meets with a therapist to conduct a brief motivational interview at this time. A "Time-Line Follow-Back" is conducted; this notes incidences of sexual intercourse, alcohol use, marijuana use, and cigarette use in a 30-day period. An fMRI is conducted, and a saliva sample is gathered. During the second session of the study, participants are randomly assigned to either a sex and alcohol risk reduction intervention, or a sex risk reduction intervention. After the intervention, participants are contacted at 3 month intervals (3 months later, 6 months later, 9 months later, and 12 months later) to meet. At these "follow-up" meetings, another Time-Line Follow-Back is conducted, along with another computer questionnaire (again assessing attitudes toward and experiences with sex, alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes).