Preliminary efficacy of a comprehensive HIV prevention intervention for abstinent adolescent girls: Pilot study findings

We developed and pilot‐tested a comprehensive HIV prevention/sexual risk reduction intervention with 54 sexually abstinent girls and estimated the effect of the intervention on three antecedents of sexual risk behavior: information, motivation, and behavioral skills. Girls ages 14–18 were randomized into either (a) an AbsPlus intervention or (b) a structurally equivalent control group. Assessments were obtained at baseline and 3 months follow‐up using audio computer assisted self‐interview. The intervention resulted in a large effect for information ( d  = 1.11); small to large effects for the motivational measures ( d  = .34–.88), and a moderate effect for a measure of behavioral skills ( d  = .67). The results indicate that antecedents of sexual risk behavior change were improved by a gender‐specific theoretically guided intervention. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 32:569–581, 2009