Brief Alcohol and HIV Prevention for Homeless Adolescents Who Exited Foster Care

Ronald G. Thompson, Jr., Ph.D.
R21 NIH

This study will develop and pilot a feasibility trial of One Plus One (OPO), an innovative, theory-driven, two-session, individual-level intervention designed to reduce alcohol use, HIV sexual risk behaviors, and the use of alcohol during sexual activities among older adolescents who experienced housing instability or became homeless after transitioning from foster care to independent living. OPO will integrate brief motivational and cognitive-behavioral strategies to address adolescent alcohol and HIV risk behaviors and incorporate detailed feedback for risk reduction that are tailored to individual risk factors, environmental context, and stage of readiness to change. The intervention requires minimal resources, is readily transferable to other settings, and should be less likely to encounter attrition problems associated with longer, multi-session interventions. Moreover, even if this brief intervention is somewhat less effective than lengthy, more intensive approaches, the increased coverage from ease of dissemination may eventually result in a larger overall public health effect.