title: Increasing assertiveness skills to reduce HIV risk among women living with a severe and persistent mental illness.
abstract: This study examined whether training women living with a severe mental illness to be assertive in sexual situations would decrease their risk for HIV infection. Twenty female outpatients were randomly assigned to either a 10-session assertiveness training intervention or a waiting-list control condition. All participants completed measures of HIV-related information, motivation, skills, and sexual risk behavior pre- and postintervention and at 2- and 4-month follow-ups. Compared with controls, women in the intervention group increased their assertiveness skill, HIV knowledge, and frequency of condom-protected intercourse. It is concluded that assertiveness training for women living with a severe mental illness can serve as 1 part of a comprehensive HIV-risk-reduction program for this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, New York 13244-2340, USA.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Weinhardt
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Verdecias
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001242:Assertiveness; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome