title: Community-level HIV prevention for persons with severe mental illness living in supportive housing programs: a pilot intervention study.
abstract: Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are at risk for HIV/AIDS. Despite the availability of supportive community programs for those with SMI, there have been no published evaluations of community-level HIV prevention trials among this population. A pilot intervention trial was conducted to determine the feasibility of such an intervention in supportive housing programs (SHPs). A multi-component community-level trial was implemented in two SHPs with a total of 28 residents. Participants completed assessments at three time points: prior to the intervention (baseline), following skills training (post-assessment), and following the 4-month community intervention (follow- up). Results demonstrated significant improvements in psychosocial risk factors at both post- and follow-up assessments, with indications of sexual behavior change at follow-up. The community-level intervention appeared to reduce the risk of HIV among persons with SMI living in SHPs, and supports the importance of conducting larger scale intervention trials.
authors.affiliation: Division of Prevention and Community Research and The Consultation Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 389 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. kathleen.sikkema@yale.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sikkema
authors.forename: Christina S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Meade
authors.forename: Jhan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Doughty-Berry
authors.forename: Susan O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Bret
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kloos
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Snow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D016352:Group Homes; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D013808:Therapeutic Community