ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02432352Updated Jun 27, 2025

Our Family Our Future: Acceptability and Feasibility Study of a Family Prevention Program for HIV Risk and Depression

A Phase 1 interventional study of Our Family Our Future in Sexual Behavior and Depression, sponsored by Brown University. Completed at 1 site in South Africa. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-06-27.

Sponsored by Brown University · Phase 1, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
146
Allocation
Randomized
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a family-based preventive intervention designed to reduce sexual risk behaviors and depressive symptoms among South African adolescents and their parents/guardians/caregivers.

Read the detailed description

The Our Family Our Future Program is a preventive intervention program designed to prevent or reduce adolescent sexual risk behavior and to increase mental health resilience against depression onset among adolescents (13-15 years of age). The intervention takes a family approach and addresses HIV risk and depression in an integrated model. HIV and depression are the leading causes of global burden of disease in low and middle income countries. The intervention is being tested in South Africa, the country confronting the largest HIV epidemic in the world and because preliminary studies with South African families identified poor mental health and sexual risk behavior as priority areas for preventive intervention development and testing.

This study is a randomized pilot design, where 152 adolescents and parents will be randomly assigned to an intervention condition or a standard usual care condition and then offered the experimental intervention as on a wait-list. Families will be recruited and screened for eligibility based on systematic house-to-house recruitment in the community. Eligibility is based on dyadic eligibility and includes age criteria, consistent presence in the household, depressive symptoms that fall below clinically significant threshold criteria, and ability to provide informed consent and assent. Eligible families will be randomized and offered a preventive intervention program in a group format, led by program facilitators in a community setting. The intervention program consists of 3 sessions plus an individualized family meeting. In some modules parents/guardians/caregivers and adolescents will have content delivered together and in some modules parents/guardians/caregivers and adolescents will break out to adult-only or adolescent-only groups.

The overall objective of study is to assess the following study questions:

Question 1: Is this study feasible? Question 2: Is this intervention acceptable to the target population? Question 3: Is there preliminary evidence of hypothesized effects of the intervention, that the intervention will reduce or maintaining symptoms that fall below the clinically significant range for depression and reduce or delay actual or intended sexual risk behavior in adolescents?

The study takes a single blind, randomized pilot trial. The study takes a secondary prevention approach. The investigators collect three sets of data. First, the investigators assess feasibility by examining recruitment rates, attendance, completion, and drop-out rates, and fidelity. Second, the investigators assess acceptability by examining satisfaction data. Third, as a secondary aim, the investigators use pilot data to assess hypothesized intervention effects by examining outcomes at baseline, immediately post-intervention (2-4 weeks after the last intervention session is completed), and at four months.

02

Conditions studied

  • Sexual Behavior
  • Depression
03

In context

Sexual Behavior

224 studies on the registry are indexed under Sexual Behavior; 30 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 146 is below the median of 264 across 179 interventional studies indexed under Sexual Behavior.

Browse Sexual Behavior studies →

Lead sponsor

Brown University is the lead sponsor of 290 studies on the registry; 40 are open to participants now.

Of its 26 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 19 (73%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

PARENTS/GUARDIANS/CAREGIVERS

  1. 18+ years
  2. primary caregiver or the person responsible for childcare in the household on a day to day basis (as identified by the household);
  3. when more than one primary caregiver exists in the household, one will be chosen at random;
  4. lives in the household at least 4 days a week
  5. sub clinical thresholds of depressive symptoms

Adolescent inclusion criteria are:

  1. 13-15 years;
  2. concurs that the adult identified is their primary caregiver;
  3. when more than one child in the family falls within the eligible age range, one child will be chosen at random;
  4. lives in the household at least 4 days a week;
  5. sub clinical thresholds of depressive symptoms

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

PARENTS/GUARDIANS/CAREGIVERS \& Adolescents

  1. cognitive impairments that would not allow them to provide or assent;
  2. if they participated in qualitative phases of the study
  3. report no or low symptoms or thresholds of depression -
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
146 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intervention

    Families are randomly allocated to a behavioral intervention arm (called Our Family Our Future) focusing on reducing sexual risk behavior in adolescents and reducing or maintaining symptoms that fall below the clinically significant range for depression. Arms will be allocated using urn randomization.

    Behavioral: Our Family Our Future

  • No intervention
    Control

    Families are randomly allocated to the control arm (which receives standard usual care, and then offered the intervention after outcome assessments as a wait-list) using urn randomization.

Interventions

  • BehavioralOur Family Our Future

    The Our Family Our Future Program is a family preventive intervention that uses resilience and prevention focused strategies to reduce sexual risk behaviors and build mental wellbeing among adolescents.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in sexual behavior or intended sexual behavior at 4 months post-intervention

    as measured through lifetime and past 3 month sexual acts, condom use, HIV and STI status, prior pregnancy

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  2. Change or maintenance of depressive symptoms at sub-clinical range from baseline to 4 months post-intervention measured by CES-D and CES-DC

    Self-reported depressive symptoms

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  3. Intervention acceptability - satisfaction with intervention content, delivery, length using the client satisfaction questionnaire and as measured on a likert scale response and as open-ended response options

    Time frame: acceptability will be assessed during the intervention, an expected average timeframe of 4 weeks

  4. Intervention feasibility measured by attendance, retention for outcome assessments, fidelity

    Time frame: cceptability will be assessed during the intervention, an expected average timeframe of 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in resilience from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through CD-RISC

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  2. Change in depression impairment from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through DISP and CPODMV

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  3. Change in perceived HIV risk susceptibility from baseline to 4 months post-intervention using a ranking derived from a 0-100 and as measured on a likert scale response

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  4. Change in HIV knowledge from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the HIV Knowledge Questionnaire

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  5. Change in HIV stigma from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the HIV Knowledge Questionnaire

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  6. Change in norms and attitudes about sex from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured on a likert scale response

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  7. Change in norms and attitudes about condoms from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the condom attitudes scale and likert response questions

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  8. Change in sexual behavior self-efficacy from baseline to 4 months post-interventionusing a ranking derived from a 0-100 and as measured on a likert scale response

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  9. Change in anxiety from baseline to 4 months post-interventionas measured through BAI and RCMAS

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  10. Change in psychological distress from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through K6 and SDQ

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  11. Change in trauma symptoms from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through PCL and NSESSS

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  12. Change in substance use from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through AUDIT and DUDIT

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  13. Change in hope from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through BHS

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  14. Change in social support from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through MSPSS

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  15. Change in family relationship from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through Family Relationship Scale

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  16. Change in family communication from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the Parent-adolescent Communication Scale

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  17. Change in family communication from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the Parent-adolescent Sex Communication Scale

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  18. Change in family relationship from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the Inventory of Parent-peer Attachment

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  19. Change in parenting from baseline to 4 months post-interventionas measured through the Parental Monitoring Questionnaire

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

  20. Change in parenting from baseline to 4 months post-intervention as measured through the Parenting Scale

    Time frame: assessed at baseline, starting within 2-4 weeks of intervention end, and 4 months post-intervention

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Caroline Kuo
    Cape Town, Western Cape 780, South Africa
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Kuo C, Atujuna M, Mathews C, Stein DJ, Hoare J, Beardslee W, Operario D, Cluver L, K Brown L. Developing family interventions for adolescent HIV prevention in South Africa. AIDS Care. 2016;28 Suppl 1(sup1):106-10. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1146396. Epub 2016 Feb 26. PubMed 26916841 ↗
  • Kuo C, LoVette A, Stein DJ, Cluver LD, Brown LK, Atujuna M, Gladstone TRG, Martin J, Beardslee W. Building resilient families: Developing family interventions for preventing adolescent depression and HIV in low resource settings. Transcult Psychiatry. 2019 Feb;56(1):187-212. doi: 10.1177/1363461518799510. Epub 2018 Oct 5. PubMed 30289374 ↗
  • Kuo C, Mathews C, LoVette A, Harrison A, Orchowski L, Pellowski JA, Atujuna M, Stein DJ, Brown LK. Perpetration of sexual aggression among adolescents in South Africa. J Adolesc. 2019 Apr;72:32-36. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.02.002. Epub 2019 Feb 13. PubMed 30771665 ↗
  • Kuo C, LoVette A, Pellowski J, Harrison A, Mathews C, Operario D, Beardslee W, Stein DJ, Brown L. Resilience and psychosocial outcomes among South African adolescents affected by HIV. AIDS. 2019 Jun 1;33 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S29-S34. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000002177. PubMed 31397720 ↗
  • Kuo C, Mathews C, Giovenco D, Atujuna M, Beardslee W, Hoare J, Stein DJ, Brown LK. Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Resilience-Oriented Family Intervention to Prevent Adolescent HIV and Depression: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. AIDS Educ Prev. 2020 Feb;32(1):67-81. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2020.32.1.67. PubMed 32202920 ↗
09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of May 2015, a primary completion of Jul 2017 and a completion of Jul 2017. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Apr 19, 2015
First posted
May 4, 2015
Start
May 2015
Primary completionActual
Jul 31, 2017
CompletionActual
Jul 31, 2017
Last update
Jun 27, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 27, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02432352
Lead sponsor
Brown University
Responsible party
Caroline Kuo (Assistant Professor, Brown University) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 4, 2015
Start date
May 2015
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2017
Completion
Jul 31, 2017
Last update
Jun 27, 2025

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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