Improving the quality of life among young people living with HIV

A three-module intervention was designed to address the multiple needs of young persons living with HIV (YPLH): (1) Staying Healthy, (2) Acting Safe, and (3) Being Together. YPLH from three cities were assigned by small cohort to either an Immediate Intervention Condition or a Control Condition. Building on the positive effects of the Staying Healthy and Acting Safe Modules, this paper reports the effects of the Being Together Module, an eight-session cognitive-behavioral intervention aimed at improving YPLHs quality of life. The YPLH (n = 104) were aged 14-23 (M = 21.03); 73% were male; most were Latino (43%) or African American (24%). YPLH in the Immediate Intervention Condition were significantly less emotionally distressed on multiple indices than those in the Control Condition, and those who attended the intervention showed decreasing emotional distress even when controlling for HIV symptomatology. HIV preventive interventions must promote emotional well-being, as well as reduce risk acts and promote health behaviors.