title: Prevention options for positives: the effects of a health communication intervention for men who have sex with men living with HIV/AIDS.
abstract: This article reports the results of a small-scale quasi-experiment that tested the efficacy of the Prevention Options for Positives intervention. The experiment tested for the outcomes of group sessions combined with individual-level counseling (ILC) versus ILC-only for men who have sex with men who are HIV positive. Both arms of the intervention were based on behavior change theory and dealt specifically with communication outcomes. The results indicate that the group- and individual-level interventions combined have a greater impact on risk communication behaviors with main partners than did the ILC-only sessions. group-session/ILC participants were more likely to decide not to have sex if they were drunk or high, and more likely to tell their partner and ask their partner about HIV status than were participants in the ILC groups. Knowledge about HIV was relatively high, and there was little change across groups. The Prevention Options for Positives intervention influenced the relative importance of various referent groups, but normative beliefs were not affected. The implications of these findings for communication practice and research with HIV-positive men who have sex with men are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. lapinsk3@msu.edu
authors.forename: Maria Knight
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lapinski
authors.forename: Liisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D006126:Group Processes; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006266:Health Education; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires