Methods
The sample will comprise 200 sexually active men drawn from outpatient
psychiatric clinics in high HIV-prevalence urban communities in and around
New York City. All 200 men recruited for this trial will receive
an initial HIV education session with instruction on condom use before
being randomized to the experimental or control conditions. The men
will then be randomly assigned to either the experimental intervention,
which comprises 10 educational group sessions followed later by five maintenance
sessions, or to the control money management intervention which also comprises
10 educational group sessions followed later by five maintenance sessions.
The participants will be followed for 12 months after the intervention. The primary outcome will be sexual risk behavior during the follow-up period, which will be assessed using instruments of demonstrated reliability.
Results
As of April, 2001, approximately 120 men have been enrolled in the
study and have completed either the experimental or control interventions.
By January, 2002, it is anticipated that all 200 men will have completed
the intervention. At that time, we will describe the intervention,
report descriptive data on baseline sexual risk, and discuss problems and
issues encountered in the design and implementation of the study.
If available, preliminary outcome data may also be presented.
Implications for Social Work Practice
HIV has emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among
men and women with severe mental illness. This intervention, if demonstrated
to be effective, may be a valuable tool for use by social workers and others
working with severely mentally ill persons who are at high risk of contracting
sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.