The role of family therapy in decreasing HIV high-risk behaviors among adolescents.

Adolescence is a critical time for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and both the prevention and treatment of high-risk-for-HIV behaviors such as drug abuse and unprotected sex. Family therapy appears to be a promising, yet neglected, source of influence in the prevention of HIV. In this paper, the authors identify HIV risk factors among adolescents and provide a rationale for the use of family therapy to prevent high-risk-for-HIV behaviors among adolescents. Also included are the components of one promising family therapy model for addressing risk reduction in adolescents. An illustrative case example is provided.