Heterosexual Anal Sex Among Men and Women in Substance Abuse Treatment: Secondary Analysis of Two Gender-Specific HIV-Prevention Trials |
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| Authors: | Mary A Hatch-Maillette Blair Beadnell Aimee N C Campbell Christina S Meade Susan Tross Donald A Calsyn |
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| Institution: | 1. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington;2. School of Social Work, University of Washington;3. Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital;4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University |
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| Abstract: | Receptive anal sex has high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission risk, and heterosexual substance-abusing individuals report higher anal sex rates compared to their counterparts in the general population. This secondary analysis evaluated the effectiveness of two gender-specific, evidence-based HIV-prevention interventions (Real Men Are Safe, or REMAS, for men; Safer Sex Skill Building, or SSSB, for women) against an HIV education (HIV-Ed) control condition on decreasing unprotected heterosexual anal sex (HAS) among substance abuse treatment-seeking men (n = 171) and women (n = 105). Two variables, engagement in any HAS and engagement in unprotected HAS, were assessed at baseline and three months postintervention. Compared to the control group, women in the gender-specific intervention did not differ on rates of any HAS at follow-up but significantly decreased their rates of unprotected HAS. Men in both the gender-specific and the control interventions reported less HAS and unprotected HAS at three-month follow-up compared to baseline, with no treatment condition effect. The mechanism of action for SSSB compared to REMAS in decreasing unprotected HAS is unclear. More attention to HAS in HIV-prevention interventions for heterosexual men and women in substance abuse treatment is warranted. |
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