GENDER-SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN AND THEIR MALE
PARTNERS
Grant Title: HIV/STD Prevention for Drug-Involved Couples
Funding Source and Project Period: NIDA, R01; 2004 - 2009
Collaborating Institutions and Key Personnel:
HIV Center:
Principal Investigator: Nabila El-Bassel, D.S.W. (Columbia University School of
Social Work
Co-Principal Investigator: Robert Remien, Ph.D.
Project Overview: Heterosexual transmission accounts for the fastest growing
risk group of people with HIV/AIDS and is the chief mode of affection among
women in the United States. Research has shown that there is a continued low
rate of condom use among heterosexuals in established relationships. Young adult
crack/cocaine and heroin abusing patients and their primary sexual partners rank
among those at highest risk for heterosexual HIV/STI transmission. A growing
body of research, including recent randomized clinical trials, has found that
couple-based approaches to HIV risk reduction are efficacious in increasing
condom use. This study is testing the efficacy of a couple-based HIV/STI
prevention intervention to increase condom use and reduce sexually transmitted
infections among heroin or crack/cocaine abusing, outpatient drug treatment or
methadone maintenance patients, aged 18-35, and their main heterosexual
partners, who are both HIV negative and report risk of sexually-acquired HIV. We
are enrolling 450 index participants, aged 18 to 35, recruited from an MMTP or
outpatient drug treatment program for crack/cocaine and/or heroin abuse, and
their main heterosexual partners and who will report having had unprotected sex
and at least one risk factor for HIV in the past 90 days. The index participants
and their main heterosexual partners are randomized to one of three conditions:
a 7-session couple-based HIV/STI risk reduction intervention (CSTI) provided to
the index participant and her/his main partner; a 7-session couple-based stress
reduction intervention (CSR) provided to the index participant and her/his main
partner, which will serve as a attention control condition; and a 7-session
individual HIV/STI risk reduction intervention (ISTI) provided to the index
participant alone, which will serve as a comparison condition.
Update: 5/26/05 |