Factors influencing engagement into interventions for adaptation to HIV in African American women.

Factors that may influence engagement into a family-ecological psychosocial intervention and a nondirective psychosocial intervention designed for HIV+ asymptomatic women were examined. Participants were 136 HIV+ African American women. Participant characteristics and therapeutic alliance were examined as possible predictors of engagement. Both participant characteristics and therapeutic alliance had some power in predicting engagement. However, fewer participant characteristics than expected were statistically significant. Statistically significant results indicate that women who had more daily hassles, more distress, more social support, and more disagreements with their spouse were more likely to engage in the intervention. The strongest predictor of engagement was therapeutic alliance, indicating the importance of the alliance between the HIV+ participant and the interventionist. The importance of these findings is discussed.