Preventing HIV infection in gay and bisexual men: Experimental evaluation of attitude change from two risk reduction interventions

In the course of learning their HIV serostatus, gay and bisexual men participated in small discussion groups aimed at increasing their practice of safer sex. Small discussion groups were randomly assigned to receive one of two interventions: a lecture/discussion by a gay health educator, or an intervention that included the lecture/discussion followed by a small group process aimed at increasing social skills for safer sex and at increasing peer support for safer sex. Men completed questionnaires relating to their knowledge about HIV and AIDS, attitudes toward sexual behavior change, and self-reported sexual behavior. At second follow-up, one year post-intervention, men who had received skills training and peer support endorsed significantly stronger attitudes in favor of safer sex than did men receiving lecture/discussion only. In particular, skills training and peer support caused greater reduction of the value placed on ejaculation inside the partner, stronger endorsement of plans to use condoms, and greater reduction of negative attitudes about condoms, than did lecture/discussion only. These results are helpful to design interventions for men who continue to engage in riskful behavior.