HIV InfectionsPATHSNCT04018573
Testing an Online Intervention to Improve Parents' Communication With Gay and Bisexual Sons About Sex and HIV
A study testing PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit and Parent Support Film in people with HIV Infections, run by George Washington University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Young men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV infection in the United States, representing 80% of all infections among youth ages 14-24, and 92% of infections among boys ages 14-19. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- HIV Infections
- What is being tested?
- PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit and Parent Support Film
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 61 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 14 Jun 2019to 1 Jun 2020
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Parent or legal guardian of a child with all of the following characteristics:
- cisgender male
- age 14-22
- self-identify as gay or bisexual
- lives in the same house with parent at least 2 days per week.
Who cannot join
- Child with known HIV infection
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
George Washington University
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20052
About this study
Official title: Developing an HIV Prevention Intervention for Young MSM Through Improved Parent-child Communication
Young men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV infection in the United States, representing 80% of all infections among youth ages 14-24, and 92% of infections among boys ages 14-19. Despite these risks, the field has not even one HIV prevention intervention shown to be effective in decreasing sexual risks or increasing HIV testing among adolescent MSM (AMSM). Historically, reaching AMSM for HIV prevention has been challenging, given their relative geographic isolation and lack of access to traditional gay congregating spaces (e.g., bars and many gay-related social networking websites). However, the investigators have developed a novel online platform for delivering interventions to parents of LGB youth that currently sees thousands of visitors each year. HIV prevention advocates have identified parents of AMSM as an untapped resource for reducing HIV risk in this population. Parent-child communication about sex has well-demonstrated associations with adolescent risk behaviors, and interventions with parents of heterosexual youth have been shown to be effective in increasing parent-adolescent communication, and thereby, reducing adolescent health risks. Thus, the aim of the proposed study is to pilot test the efficacy of an online intervention to increase and improve parent communication with AMSM about sexuality and HIV, with the ultimate goal of decreasing adolescent sexual risk and increasing HIV testing. This will be achieved by randomizing parents who come to seek resources on the investigators' existing website to receive either (a) a film designed to support parents of LGB youth, or (b) that film + the online communication intervention materials, and then gathering longitudinal, online data from parents in both study arms and their AMSM sons over a 2-4 month period. It is hypothesized that parents in the intervention group will increase their communication with their sons about HIV and condoms.
- Conditions
- HIV Infections
- Being tested
- PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit, Parent Support Film
- Medical subject headings
- HIV Infections
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
PATHS Sexual Communication ToolkitBehavioural
The PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit is a self-guided, online intervention. The toolkit is comprised of 6 modules, covering a range of topics relevant to increasing parents' motivation, self-efficacy, and intention for communicating about sex. Material is presented in a variety of modalities (e.g., text, videos of experts, videos of other parents describing their experiences). Parents set personalized goals for themselves regarding activities and conversations they want to have with their sons, selecting from a menu of options provided by the intervention. A 1-month booster module queries parents about whether they have achieved their goals, and provides customized content to support the behaviors parents have yet to enact.
Parent Support FilmBehavioural
Also called Lead with Love
Lead with Love is a 35-minute "education entertainment" film created to provide support, information, and behavioral guidance to parents of lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) children. Drawing from stage-based models of behavior change, and social cognitive theory, it aims to help parents progress through the process of coming to accept their child's sexual orientation, recognizing the importance of their behaviors and reactions to their child's health, and accepting their child's sexual orientation, and engaging in behaviors that are more supportive and less rejecting. This is achieved by telling the true stories of four families and how they responded to the news that their child was LGB, and by having experts (psychologists, teachers, clergy) provide information and guidance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Support Film | Active comparator | Parents will watch Lead with Love, a 35-minute documentary style film designed to provide support, information, and behavioral guidance to parents with a lesbian, gay, or bisexual child. One month later, parents will look over material that reviews the major points of the film. All of this material is presented online via our webapp. Receives: Behavioral: Parent Support Film |
| Parent Support Film + PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit | Experimental | Parents in this arm will have the option of watching Lead with Love, and then will engage with our parent toolkit, designed to increase the frequency and quality of parent-child communication about HIV and condoms. One month later, parents will engage with booster content, customized to address their self-reported barriers to communicating with their sons. All of this material is presented online via our webapp. Receives: Behavioral: PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit; Behavioral: Parent Support Film |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Sexual Health Communication Checklist score -- Parents
This is a new measure developed for this pilot study. Thus, we will first examine the measure's reliability and validity. Assuming acceptable psychometric properties, this will be the primary outcome measure. The checklist queries parents and children whether they have engaged in four different activities specifically recommended by our intervention: providing information about HIV, providing information about correct condom usage, providing information about condom acquisition, and supporting HIV testing. For each of those four activities, families have multiple ways to do the activity (e.g., for providing information about correct condom use, parents can: send a video, explain the process, or demonstrate the process). Thus, the checklist queries 11 specific behaviors. Families are coded as having completed the activity if they have engaged in any one of the multiple behaviors congruent with the corresponding activity. Thus, scores on the measure range from 0-4.
Measured: Parents are queried about whether they engaged in these behaviors at three time points: baseline, 4-6 week follow-up, and 8-12 week follow-up. We will assess change from baseline to each of the two followup points.
Change in Sexual Health Communication Checklist score -- Child
This is a new measure developed for this pilot study. Thus, we will first examine the measure's reliability and validity. Assuming acceptable psychometric properties, this will be the primary outcome measure. The checklist queries parents and children whether they have engaged in four different activities specifically recommended by our intervention: providing information about HIV, providing information about correct condom usage, providing information about condom acquisition, and supporting HIV testing. For each of those four activities, families have multiple ways to do the activity (e.g., for providing information about correct condom use, parents can: send a video, explain the process, or demonstrate the process). Thus, the checklist queries 11 specific behaviors. Families are coded as having completed the activity if they have engaged in any one of the multiple behaviors congruent with the corresponding activity. Thus, scores on the measure range from 0-4.
Measured: Sons are queried about whether their parents engaged in these behaviors at baseline and at 12 week followup. We will assess change from baseline to followup.
Secondary outcomes (3)
Change in parent intentions for sexual health communication
This is a new measure developed for this pilot study. It assesses parents' intentions in the "next several weeks" to engage in 11 specific sexual health activities with their sons (e.g., demonstrating condom use, taking son to get tested for HIV).
Measured: Parents are given this measure at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 4-6 week follow-up after engaging with booster material. We will assess change from baseline to post intervention and from baseline to 4-6 week followup.
Change in Parent-Adolescent Sexual Health Communication Assessment
This measure contains subscales assessing: (a) sexual health communication frequency, (b) sexual health communication quality, and (c) negative emotionality during sexual health communication. There are both parent and child reports.
Measured: Parents are queried at baseline, 8-week followup, and 12-week followup. Sons are queried at baseline and 12-week followup.
Change in condom-use self efficacy
11-item scale assessing participants' confidence in their ability to correctly use and acquire condoms. Assessed in parents and sons.
Measured: For parents: change from baseline to immediate post-intervention. For sons: change from baseline to 12-week follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Jul 2019
- Study start14 Jun 2019
- Primary completion1 Jun 2020
- Study completion1 Jun 2020
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for HIV InfectionsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by George Washington UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 61 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- George Washington University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, David Huebner, George Washington University
- Investigators
- David M Huebner, PhD, MPH, Principal investigator, George Washington University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04018573
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- MH112445
- Other IDs
- R34MH112445
- Acronym
- PATHS
- Status last verified
- Jun 2023
- First submitted
- 18 Jun 2019
- Last updated
- 5 Jun 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Huebner DM, Barnett AP, Baucom BRW, Guilamo-Ramos V. Effects of a Parent-Focused HIV Prevention Intervention for Young Men Who have Sex with Men: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. AIDS Behav. 2023 May;27(5):1502-1513. doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03885-1. Epub 2022 Nov 10.
PubMed 36352294
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Jun 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Developing an HIV Prevention Intervention for Young MSM Through Improved Parent-child Communication
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04018573
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PATHS / MH112445
- Conditions
- HIV Infections
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 61 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- George Washington UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study start
- 14 Jun 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jun 2020 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jun 2020 (actual)
- First posted
- 12 Jul 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Young men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV infection in the United States, representing 80% of all infections among youth ages 14-24, and 92% of infections among boys ages 14-19. Despite these risks, the field has not even one HIV prevention intervention shown to be effective in decreasing sexual risks or increasing HIV testing among adolescent MSM (AMSM). Historically, reaching AMSM for HIV prevention has been challenging, given their relative geographic isolation and lack of access to traditional gay congregating spaces (e.g., bars and many gay-related social networking websites). However, the investigators have developed a novel online platform for delivering interventions to parents of LGB youth that currently sees thousands of visitors each year. HIV prevention advocates have identified parents of AMSM as an untapped resource for reducing HIV risk in this population. Parent-child communication about sex has well-demonstrated associations with adolescent risk behaviors, and interventions with parents of heterosexual youth have been shown to be effective in increasing parent-adolescent communication, and thereby, reducing adolescent health risks. Thus, the aim of the proposed study is to pilot test the efficacy of an online intervention to increase and improve parent communication with AMSM about sexuality and HIV, with the ultimate goal of decreasing adolescent sexual risk and increasing HIV testing. This will be achieved by randomizing parents who come to seek resources on the investigators' existing website to receive either (a) a film designed to support parents of LGB youth, or (b) that film + the online communication intervention materials, and then gathering longitudinal, online data from parents in both study arms and their AMSM sons over a 2-4 month period. It is hypothesized that parents in the intervention group will increase their communication with their sons about HIV and condoms.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Support Film | Active comparator | Behavioral: Parent Support FilmParents will watch Lead with Love, a 35-minute documentary style film designed to provide support, information, and behavioral guidance to parents with a lesbian, gay, or bisexual child. One month later, parents will look over material that reviews the major points of the film. All of this material is presented online via our webapp. |
| Parent Support Film + PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit | Experimental | Behavioral: PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit, Behavioral: Parent Support FilmParents in this arm will have the option of watching Lead with Love, and then will engage with our parent toolkit, designed to increase the frequency and quality of parent-child communication about HIV and condoms. One month later, parents will engage with booster content, customized to address their self-reported barriers to communicating with their sons. All of this material is presented online via our webapp. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Parent or legal guardian of a child with all of the following characteristics:
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Child with known HIV infection
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| PATHS Sexual Communication ToolkitThe PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit is a self-guided, online intervention. The toolkit is comprised of 6 modules, covering a range of topics relevant to increasing parents' motivation, self-efficacy, and intention for communicating about sex. Material is presented in a variety of modalities (e.g., text, videos of experts, videos of other parents describing their experiences). Parents set personalized goals for themselves regarding activities and conversations they want to have with their sons, selecting from a menu of options provided by the intervention. A 1-month booster module queries parents about whether they have achieved their goals, and provides customized content to support the behaviors parents have yet to enact. | Behavioural | Parent Support Film + PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit |
| Parent Support FilmAlso: Lead with LoveLead with Love is a 35-minute "education entertainment" film created to provide support, information, and behavioral guidance to parents of lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) children. Drawing from stage-based models of behavior change, and social cognitive theory, it aims to help parents progress through the process of coming to accept their child's sexual orientation, recognizing the importance of their behaviors and reactions to their child's health, and accepting their child's sexual orientation, and engaging in behaviors that are more supportive and less rejecting. This is achieved by telling the true stories of four families and how they responded to the news that their child was LGB, and by having experts (psychologists, teachers, clergy) provide information and guidance. | Behavioural | Parent Support Film, Parent Support Film + PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit |
Primary outcome
Change in Sexual Health Communication Checklist score -- Parents
Time frame: Parents are queried about whether they engaged in these behaviors at three time points: baseline, 4-6 week follow-up, and 8-12 week follow-up. We will assess change from baseline to each of the two followup points.
This is a new measure developed for this pilot study. Thus, we will first examine the measure's reliability and validity. Assuming acceptable psychometric properties, this will be the primary outcome measure. The checklist queries parents and children whether they have engaged in four different activities specifically recommended by our intervention: providing information about HIV, providing information about correct condom usage, providing information about condom acquisition, and supporting HIV testing. For each of those four activities, families have multiple ways to do the activity (e.g., for providing information about correct condom use, parents can: send a video, explain the process, or demonstrate the process). Thus, the checklist queries 11 specific behaviors. Families are coded as having completed the activity if they have engaged in any one of the multiple behaviors congruent with the corresponding activity. Thus, scores on the measure range from 0-4.
Change in Sexual Health Communication Checklist score -- Child
Time frame: Sons are queried about whether their parents engaged in these behaviors at baseline and at 12 week followup. We will assess change from baseline to followup.
This is a new measure developed for this pilot study. Thus, we will first examine the measure's reliability and validity. Assuming acceptable psychometric properties, this will be the primary outcome measure. The checklist queries parents and children whether they have engaged in four different activities specifically recommended by our intervention: providing information about HIV, providing information about correct condom usage, providing information about condom acquisition, and supporting HIV testing. For each of those four activities, families have multiple ways to do the activity (e.g., for providing information about correct condom use, parents can: send a video, explain the process, or demonstrate the process). Thus, the checklist queries 11 specific behaviors. Families are coded as having completed the activity if they have engaged in any one of the multiple behaviors congruent with the corresponding activity. Thus, scores on the measure range from 0-4.
3 secondary outcomes
Change in parent intentions for sexual health communication
Time frame: Parents are given this measure at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 4-6 week follow-up after engaging with booster material. We will assess change from baseline to post intervention and from baseline to 4-6 week followup.
Change in Parent-Adolescent Sexual Health Communication Assessment
Time frame: Parents are queried at baseline, 8-week followup, and 12-week followup. Sons are queried at baseline and 12-week followup.
Change in condom-use self efficacy
Time frame: For parents: change from baseline to immediate post-intervention. For sons: change from baseline to 12-week follow-up
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Jun 2023.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 36352294Huebner DM, Barnett AP, Baucom BRW, Guilamo-Ramos V. Effects of a Parent-Focused HIV Prevention Intervention for Young Men Who have Sex with Men: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial. AIDS Behav. 2023 May;27(5):1502-1513. doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03885-1. Epub 2022 Nov 10.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
David M Huebner, PhD, MPH principal investigator
George Washington University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing PATHS Sexual Communication Toolkit and Parent Support Film in people with HIV Infections, run by George Washington University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Jun 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Sexual Health Communication Checklist score -- Parents (time frame: Parents are queried about whether they engaged in these behaviors at three time points: baseline, 4-6 week follow-up, and 8-12 week follow-up. We will assess change from baseline to each of the two followup points.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04018573, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Jun 2023.