Reducing Sexual Risk Behaviors for HIV/STDs in Women With Alcohol Use Disorders

Diane M. Langhorst, Y. Joon Choi, Lori Keyser-Marcus, Dace S. Svikis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: A pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) examined effectiveness of HIV/STD Safer Sex Skills Building + Alcohol (SSB+A) intervention for women with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) in a residential treatment setting. Method: After randomizing thirty-six women with AUDs and reporting having intercourse with a male partner in the past 180 days to SSB+A or HE (standard HIV/STD education) groups, rates of penetrative intercourse with and without condoms at 60 day and 180 day follow-up were compared between SSB+A or HE groups. Results: There was a significant difference in mean number of sex acts with condoms between SSB+A and HE groups over time. Specifically, SSB+A and HE groups did not differ at 60 day follow-up, but at 180 day follow-up, mean sex acts with condoms among SSB+A group was significantly higher than HE. Conclusion: Pilot study findings affirm the effectiveness of the SSB+A in reducing sexual risk behaviors of AUD women and support the need for further research, testing the SSB+A intervention in a larger sample of women and across different treatment modalities. The present study also illustrates the critical link between practice and use of a step by step model of intervention research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)367-379
Number of pages13
JournalResearch on Social Work Practice
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • HIV/STD prevention intervention
  • alcohol use disorders
  • randomized clinical trial (RCT)
  • sexual risk behaviors
  • women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Psychology(all)

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