The Effect of FAmily-CEntered (FACE®) Pediatric Advanced Care Planning Intervention on Family Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial for Adolescents With HIV and Their Families

Clinicians fear pediatric advance care planning (pACP) for adolescents is too distressing for families. Multisite longitudinal randomized controlled trial of adolescents with HIV tested the effect of FAmily-CEntered (FACE®) pACP intervention on families’ anxiety and depression. One hundred five adolescent/family dyads were randomized to FACE® ( n = 54 dyads) or control ( n = 51 dyads). Families were 90% African American, 37% HIV-positive, and 22% less than high school educated. Families reported lower anxiety 3 months post-FACE® intervention than control (β = −4.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [−8.20, −1.23], p = .008). Male family members were less anxious than female family members (β = −4.55, 95% CI = [−6.96, −2.138], p ≤ .001). Family members living with HIV reported greater depressive symptoms than HIV-uninfected families (β = 3.32, 95% CI = [0.254, 6.38], p = .034). Clinicians can be assured this structured, facilitated FACE® pACP model minimized family anxiety without increasing depressive symptoms. Adolescent/family dyads should be invited to have access to, and provision of, evidence-based pACP as part of patient-centered/family-supported care in the HIV continuum of care.