The training proposal initiates an examination of mother-daughter communication regarding sexuality, sexual initiation, and risk behaviors, as they relate to HIV. The research focuses on the specific sexual risk reduction communication relationship between an HIV-infected mother and her daughter, and how the relationship with an infected parent impacts behavioral, normative and control beliefs and engagement in sexual risk behaviors as compared to HIV-negative mother-daughter dyads. The proposed study will examine how communication may vary by age of child, parent serostatus, and beliefs, among other factors, and how those variables impact engagement in HIV-risk behaviors by youth. The first part of this sequential mixed methods proposal is a qualitative study to gain a deeper understanding of sexual risk communication, specifically HIV, among HIV-infected mothers and their non-infected daughters. This work will inform the second phase, a broader quantitative study examining mother-daughter communication about HIV-related sexual risk behaviors. This preliminary research will form the foundation for future work examining the impact of an HIV serostatus on mother-daughter communication and it's impact on HIV risk reduction. ? ? ? ?
