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Biomedical subjects

S C Kalichman

Publications and source records attributed to S C Kalichman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Continued high-risk sex among HIV seropositive gay and bisexual men seeking HIV prevention services.

The authors examined HIV risk-related sexual behaviors in an ethnically diverse sample of HIV seropositive gay and bisexual men (N = 86). Measures of sexual behavior, substance use, condom attitudes, behavior change intentions, and engagement in risk-reducing practices were completed. Thirty-nine percent of the men reported engaging in unprotected anal intercourse in the past 3 months. Unprotected anal intercourse was associated with using nitrite inhalants, sex partners who used substances before sex, and low intentions to change risk behavior. These results highlight the difficulties that people living with HIV infection face in maintaining a lifetime of safer sex and the necessity of integrating clinical and prevention interventions for these persons.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

HIV-seropositive men who engage in high-risk sexual behaviour: psychological characteristics and implications for prevention.

A minority of people who test HIV seropositive continue to engage in sexual behaviour that places their partners at high risk for HIV infection. However, little is known about factors that contribute to sexual risk behaviour among. HIV-seropositive men. In this study, HIV-seropositive men participating in substance abuse support groups and HIV prevention programmes (n = 223) completed measures of demographic characteristics, sexual behaviour history, sensation-seeking (the propensity to seek optimal stimulation), and sexual compulsivity (persistent sexual preoccupations). Twenty-six per cent of the sample reported having recent multiple unprotected sexual intercourse partners. Across support group and prevention programme participants, men with multiple unprotected partners reported greater sexual compulsivity than men with one or no unprotected partners, but groups did not differ in terms of sensation-seeking. Results suggest that intensive therapeutic interventions are needed for a relatively small number of people who may contribute significantly to the HIV epidemic.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Psychological and social factors associated with histories of risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection among African-American inner-city women.

Minority women constitute the fastest-growing segment of the American epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The present study examined the psychological and social factors related to HIV risk among 153 African-American inner-city women who completed measures of HIV risk history, sexual and substance use behaviors, perceived risk for HIV infection, self-efficacy to reduce risk (belief that one can effectively perform specific behaviors), and perceived social norms supporting risk reduction. Fifty-five percent of the women (n = 84) reported at least one factor that had placed them at known risk for HIV infection. Results of a stepwise regression analysis showed that HIV risk history was associated with self-perceived risk for HIV infection and self-efficacy to perform risk-reducing actions. Social norms for safer sex did not contribute significantly to the explained variance. Women at risk were more likely to have been forced or coerced into unwanted sex and were less likely to have been familiar with their most recent sex partner. These result suggest that HIV risk-reduction interventions targeting inner-city women should focus on skills training approaches to build self-efficacy and empower women to adopt risk-reducing practices.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

AIDS information needs: conceptual and content analyses of questions asked of AIDS information hotlines.

Dissemination of accurate information about HIV is an essential element of national AIDS prevention strategies and AIDS telephone hotlines serve a vital function in providing such information. In this study, questions asked of two AIDS information hotlines were collected and examined to determine the AIDS information needs of the general public. Questions asked of local AIDS lines in Houston and Milwaukee (N = 1611) were independently classified into 30 content areas, with two independent raters achieving 94% agreement. The content areas were organized for analysis into 11 broader information domains. Questions about HIV antibody testing were the most frequently asked (27%), followed by questions about sexual transmission of HIV (16%), HIV-related symptoms (16%) and situations that do not confer risk for HIV infection (14%). Content analyses suggested that individuals were motivated to call hotlines by fears of contracting HIV from actual risk behaviors or to dismiss concerns about contracting HIV through casual modes. Many individuals had information needs related to their own personal experiences that could not be addressed through media campaigns or other means of mass public health education. Results suggest that HIV information dissemination to the public through hotlines and other means of direct health education serves both preventive and destigmatizing functions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Women living with HIV/AIDS: the dual challenge of being a patient and caregiver.

More than 60,000 women in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS, and millions of women worldwide are infected with HIV. Most of these women will die at an early age, leaving their children motherless. During their HIV illness, women confront the challenge of being both patient and family caregiver. Little research has explored this dual challenge. The authors conducted semistructured one-hour interviews with HIV-positive women that focused on the impact of the HIV diagnosis on the women's lives. Significant factors emerging from the interviews included the impact of stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, disbelief of the diagnosis, the lack of a guardian for their children, the paucity of women's support groups, and barriers associated with seeking services. All women exhibited evidence of clinical depression. A model for multidisciplinary intervention is proposed that focuses on women's needs within their family systems.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1997

It's like a regular part of gay life: repeat HIV antibody testing among gay and bisexual men.

HIV antibody testing is a critical facet of national AIDS prevention strategies and increasing numbers of persons are tested each year. Research has shown that a significant number of men who have sex with men are repeatedly tested for HIV antibodies, and many are tested regularly every 6 months. This study investigated the prevalence of repeat testing (having been tested three or more time) and regular testing (having been tested three or more times and getting tested every 6 months), and their association to testing attitudes and sexual behaviors. We found that 66% of 253 HIV seronegative gay and bisexual men surveyed at a large gay pride festival had been repeatedly tested, and 47% were tested regularly. Repeat testing was associated with knowing people with HIV or AIDS, whereas regular testing was associated with younger age and not being in an exclusive sexual relationship. Both repeat and regular testers held more positive health-related attitudes about testing than nonrepeat and nonregularly tested men, respectively. Contrary to previous research, repeat testing was not associated with unprotected anal intercourse or unprotected oral sex. However, both repeat and regular testing were positively related to condom use during anal intercourse as well as having multiple protected anal intercourse partners. We therefore conclude that both repeat testing and higher rates of condom use reflect positive health attitudes and that repeat testing may function to meet the needs of some men who have sex with men.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1997

Fatalism, current life satisfaction, and risk for HIV infection among gay and bisexual men.

This study surveyed 430 men at an urban gay pride celebration to assess fatalism, current life satisfaction, and perceived expected years of life among men who have sex with men. Analyses showed that men who engaged in unprotected anal intercourse outside of exclusive relationships reported a greater fatalistic outlook, were more dissatisfied with life, and perceived a shorter life for themselves than men who practiced only safer sex and men who were in exclusive relationships. Gay men in exclusive relationships scored higher than nonexclusively partnered gay men on the measure of current life satisfaction. These results suggest that efforts to prevent HIV infection among gay men should include building personal self-worth, support of long-term relationships, and future goal orientations.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Lack of positive outcomes from a cognitive-behavioral HIV and AIDS prevention intervention for inner-city men: lessons from a controlled pilot study.

African American men are at increasingly high risk for HIV infection, but there have been few studies of HIV risk reduction interventions for heterosexual ethnic minority men. The present study randomly assigned 81 African American men to one of two HIV prevention interventions: a four-session cognitive-behavioral skills training HIV risk reduction intervention that has been successful with other populations or a four-session HIV risk education and sensitization control condition. Men were assessed at baseline, at immediate postintervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. Forty-five percent of participants dropped out of the intervention; dropouts were younger, more likely to have used condoms, and less likely to have been tested for HIV antibodies than men who completed the study. Outcome analyses showed that both interventions significantly increased AIDS-related knowledge, initial intentions to change HIV risk behaviors, and reduced unprotected vaginal intercourse. However, there were no significant differences between groups on any of the measures at postintervention or follow-up assessments. Recognizing the limitations of our small sample size, the results of this initial study caution against generalizing skills training HIV prevention interventions that have been successful with other populations to African American heterosexual men.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Sensation seeking as an explanation for the association between substance use and HIV-related risky sexual behavior.

Past research has shown that recreational drug use correlates with sexual behaviors that confer high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The present study tested the hypothesis that sensation seeking, a disposition characterized by the tendency to pursue novel, exciting, and optimal levels of arousal, accounts for a majority of the variance in associations between substance use and high-risk sexual behavior. Ninety-nine homosexually active men completed measures of sensation seeking, self-reported sexual behavior, and substance use. Path analysis and hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that sensation seeking accounts for the observed relationship between substance use and high-risk sexual behavior. We conclude that personality characteristics, often ignored in high-risk sexual episodes, predict risk behavior over and above substance use, and may be useful in tailoring HIV prevention interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Experimental component analysis of a behavioral HIV-AIDS prevention intervention for inner-city women.

A component analysis of a behavioral HIV risk reduction intervention was conducted among 87 women recruited from an inner-city community. Women were randomly assigned to an intervention consisting of (a) sexual communication skills training, (b) self-management skills training, (c) a combination of sexual communication and self-management skills, or (d) HIV education and risk sensitization. Results showed that all 4 intervention conditions increased AIDS knowledge and intentions to reduce risk behaviors. Communication skills training resulted in higher rates of risk reduction conversations and risk refusals. However, the combined skills training condition showed the lowest rates of unprotected sexual intercourse at the 3-month follow-up. This study is the first to experimentally control HIV risk reduction elements in an analysis of a skills-based HIV prevention intervention.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1996

People living with HIV infection who attend and do not attend support groups: a pilot study of needs, characteristics and experiences.

People living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) confront a myriad of stressors over the course of their infection. Social support groups offer a means of addressing the support needs of people living with HIV. In the present study, 34 persons who had attended HIV support groups and 29 who had not attended groups completed measures of distress, coping, and social connectedness, and participated in open-ended interviews concerning their support group experiences. Results showed that those who attended support groups knew they were HIV-seropositive for a longer time, reported less emotional distress, and had more social contact than did non-attenders. However, non-attenders endorsed avoidant coping strategies to a greater extent. Analyses showed that time since testing positive accounted for differences between groups in social connectedness but not differences in anxiety, depression, or avoidance coping. Thus, HIV-seropositive persons become socially reconnected with time, but individuals with avoidant coping styles experience greater emotional distress and are unlikely to seek support groups. A sizeable proportion of people with HIV may therefore need supportive interventions, particularly nearer to the time that they test HIV-seropositive.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

An empirical investigation of the relationship between spirituality, coping, and emotional distress in people living with HIV infection and AIDS.

Evaluates levels of psychological distress, coping mechanisms, and their relationship with the religious beliefs and spiritual practices of people (N=65) living with HIV and AIDS. Results of the research indicate a strong relationship for spiritual dimensions with mental health, psychological adjustment, and coping. Concludes that a blending of spiritual traditions and mental health approaches are needed to facilitate the coping of people living with HIV and AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Increased attention to human sexuality can improve HIV-AIDS prevention efforts: key research issues and directions.

Curtailing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic requires the development of effective strategies for helping people reduce high-risk sexual behavior patterns. Because the objective of HIV prevention involves changing how people behave sexually, research findings in human sexuality are extremely pertinent to efforts to promote AIDS risk reduction. Unfortunately, most public health HIV prevention programs rarely reflect findings of human sexuality research. In this article, research is reviewed in the areas of the relationship contexts of sexuality, including variations in monogamy, condom use in affectionate versus casual relationships, sexual communication, and coercion; the modification of sexual behavior repertoires; substance use in relation to sexual intercourse; and sexual schema and scripts relevant to HIV risk. Policy and training issues related to human sexuality may have hindered efforts to incorporate sexuality research findings in HIV prevention programs. Advances and refinements in the success of HIV prevention efforts are likely if research on human sexuality is better integrated in AIDS prevention programs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Context framing to enhance HIV-antibody-testing messages targeted to African American women.

African American women (N = 100) recruited from an urban clinic were randomly assigned to view 1 of 3 experimental videotapes promoting HIV testing: (a) an ethnicity-matched information control videotape; (b) the same ethnicity-matched videotape presented by an African American woman (gender-ethnicity-matched control condition); or (c) an experimental videotape with a culturally relevant context that embedded HIV-testing information within a frame of reference emphasizing personal loss. Consistent with D. Kahneman and A. Tversky's (1979) prospect theory, women who viewed the context-framing videotape were most likely to have been tested during a 2-week follow-up interval. Among women who expressed intentions to get tested after viewing the videotapes, 63% of those in the message-framing condition were tested for HIV during a 2-week period compared with 23% in the gender-ethnicity-matched condition, and none in the ethnicity-matched condition.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗