HIV/STD safer sex skills groups for men in methadone maintenance or drug-free outpatient treatment programs.

This presentation outlines the aims and design of NIDA-CTN-0018, “Reducing HIV/STD Risk Behaviors: A Research Study for Men in Drug Abuse Treatment,” which has been designed and implemented in conjunction with a parallel study for women (CTN-0019) under the direction of Susan Tross. Drug treatment can have a powerful positive effect on HIV drug use risk behavior, especially needle use behaviors. However, sexual risk behavior has received less attention and has been slower to change. Research suggests, however, that men and women are less likely to engage in risky sex behavior with an intense HIV risk reduction intervention, peer group discussion, and the use of separate sex sessions. This study evaluates a five-session HIV/AIDS group therapy designed specifically for heterosexual men. This therapy is compared to standard HIV/AIDS education, which generally consists of a single session of HIV education. The researchers hypothesize that men in the gender-specific therapy group will report less risky sexual behavior than men in standard therapy. They are also expected to have a more positive attitude about condoms, be more likely to have condoms, be more likely to have taken condoms from clinic supplies, report less drug use in combination with sex, and hold more egalitarian attitude toward women.

Related protocols: CTN-0018, CTN-0019