The MOMS (Making Our Mothers Stronger) project: A culturally tailored parenting intervention for mothers living with HIV in the Southern USA

Abstract

The southeastern region of the United States has had the highest increase of new HIV/AIDS cases among all regions in the country and now has the highest incidence of HIV-positive women. The MOMS (Making Our Mothers Stronger) Project was a randomized, controlled behavioral trial that aimed to improve functioning of families affected by HIV by reducing childbearing stressors among HIV-positive mothers. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two intervention conditions: a Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)-based intervention (focused on reducing parenting stress) or an attention-control intervention (focused on reducing health-related stress). The parenting intervention focused on building four key skills: communicating clearly and effectively with their children, using positive and negative consequences with their children to effectively change child's behavior, enjoying their children more by finding ways to build quality time together into their normal routine, and taking care of themselves so they can best care for their children. Post intervention, there was significant decline in parenting-related stress in both the intervention conditions. Implications and future directions based on study findings are discussed.