Can a Multilevel STI/HIV Prevention Strategy for High Risk African American Adolescents Improve Life Satisfaction?

Keith J Zullig; Robert F Valois; Gerald R Hobbs; Jelani C Kerr; Daniel Romer; Michael P Carey; Larry K Brown; Ralph J DiClemente; Peter A Vanable

doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00084-z

Can a Multilevel STI/HIV Prevention Strategy for High Risk African American Adolescents Improve Life Satisfaction?

J Happiness Stud. 2020 Feb;21(2):417-436. doi: 10.1007/s10902-019-00084-z. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Authors

Keith J Zullig¹, Robert F Valois², Gerald R Hobbs³, Jelani C Kerr⁴, Daniel Romer⁵, Michael P Carey⁶, Larry K Brown⁶, Ralph J DiClemente⁷, Peter A Vanable⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 9190-26506, USA.
² Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Schools of Public Health and Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
³ Department of Statistics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
⁴ Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
⁵ Public Policy Center, Annenberg School for Communication, Adolescent Communication Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁶ The Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital and Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
⁷ Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychology, Center for Health and Behavior, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.

Abstract

Addressing adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the STI/HIV prevention literature is well documented; however, impacts from interventions on life satisfaction are relatively unexplored. This study examined data (n = 1658) from a randomized, multi-site, multi-level STI/HIV prevention intervention trial (Project iMPAACS) to determine whether increased protective and reduced sexual risk-taking behaviors associated with STI/HIV would also improve self-reported life satisfaction. Taking into account the nested study design and controlling for confounders, a mixed model ANOVA was performed where Total mean life satisfaction scores were analyzed at baseline and 3, 6, 12, and 18 months post-recruitment. Significance levels of 0.05 were used to determine significance and η ² was used to assess effect size. We hypothesized that as intervention participants engaged in the intentional activity associated with increasing protective behaviors and reducing sexual risk-taking behaviors associated with STI/HIV, life satisfaction reports would also improve over the course of the intervention. A significant main effect for sex was detected (F = 5.19, p = .02, η ² = .03), along with three interactions: between experimental condition and media intervention (F = 7.96, p = .005, η ²= .04); experimental condition, sex, and media intervention (F = 6.51, p = .01, η ² = .04); and experimental condition, sex, assessment point, and media intervention (F = 3.23, p = .01, η ² = .02). With the exception of the control condition, female life satisfaction reports improved from baseline assessments to 18-months post-recruitment, whereas male reports decreased. Project iMPPACS was not designed with the intent on improving participants' life satisfaction. However, study results suggest incorporating strategies to address subjective well-being into future adolescent STI/HIV risk-reduction interventions is beneficial for females and additional research is necessary for males.

Keywords: Adolescents; HIV; Intervention; Life satisfaction; Prevention; Randomized trial; STI; Subjective well-being.

Abstract

Grants and funding