Family and HIV/AIDS: Cultural and Contextual Issues in Prevention and Treatment

Three decades into the HIV pandemic, the goals remain clear: reduce the number of infections,improve the health outcomes of those who are infected, and eliminate disparities in care. And one observation continues to gain credence: families are a powerful resource in preventing, adapting to, and coping with HIV.  Recognizing their complex role as educators, mentors, and caregivers, Family and HIV/AIDS assembles a wealth of findings from successful prevention and intervention strategies and provides models for translating evidence into effective real-world practice. Chapters spotlight the differing roles of mothers and fathers in prevention efforts, clarify the need for family/community collaborations, and examine core issues of culture,ethnicity, gender, and diagnosis (e.g., minority families, adolescents with psychological disorders). Throughout, risk reduction and health promotion are shown as a viable public health strategy A reference with considerable utility across the health, mental health, and related disciplines,Family and HIV/AIDS will be a go-to resource for practitioners working with families, researchers studying at-risk populations, administrators seeking to create new (or evaluate existing)prevention and care programs, and policymakers involved in funding such programs.

Table of Contents:
Foreword.- Part I: Overview of Family and HIV and Mental Health.- Families and HIV/AIDS: First Line of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.- Family as the Model for Prevention of Mental and Physical Health Problems.- The Role of Settings in Family Based-Prevention of HIV/STDs.– Part II: Role of Families in Prevention and Care.- Parents as AIDS educators.- Mothers: The Major Force in Preventing HIV/STD Risk Behaviors.- Fathers and HIV: A Missing Factor in Developing Interventions but Not in the Lives of Their Children.– Communities and HIV.– Couples-based HIV Prevention and Treatment:State of Science, Gaps and Future Directions.– The Role of Families Among Orphans and Vulnerable Children In Confronting HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.– Collaborating with Families and Communities to Prevent Youth HIV Risk Taking and Exposure.- Families and HIV Medical Adherence.- Part III. Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Issues in Families.- Family-Based HIV Prevention with African American and Hispanic Youth .– Parents as Agents of HIV Prevention for Gay,Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth.- Family-Based HIV Prevention for Adolescents with Psychiatric Disorders.- Part IV. Implementing Family Systems Evidence-Based Prevention.- Adaptation of Interventions for Families Affected by HIV.- Promoting Family-Focused Evidenced-Based Practice in Frontline HIV/AIDS Care.- Part V. Challenges for the Future.- Future Directions for Family-Based Prevention and Treatment Research: Challenges and Emerging Issues.