Understanding and Preventing HIV Risk Behavior: Safer Sex and Drug Use

The AIDS epidemic continues to grow in this country and around the world. Currently, the only hope of stopping this tragedy is through interventions that change individual behavior. This book provides an excellent overview of current knowledge and research on how to promote the behaviors of safer sex and safer drug use, which will slow down the spread of HIV. It will be a useful resource for researchers who examine HIV prevention and for community workers and clinicians who wish to use sound, well-tested techniques for their intervention work. In addition, the book can serve as a thorough introduction for students who are new to the area of behavioral research on HIV and AIDS. --from the Overview by Suzanne C. Thompson & Stuart Oskamp Bringing together some of the most active and respected researchers in the field, this volume presents a state-of-the-art, integrated examination of behavioral research aimed at reducing the transmission of HIV. In almost 20 years of battling the AIDS epidemic, one theme has consistently emerged: The solution to stopping the spread of the AIDS virus rests with individual behavior. Understanding and Preventing HIV Risk Behavior grapples with the critical question of how to influence people to change high-risk behaviors, particularly in sexual activity and drug use. The contributors take an in-depth look at the most current HIV and AIDS epidemiological findings; the information-motivation-behavioral skills model of risk behavior; and empirical analyses of contraceptive decision making, denial processes, and the role of attraction in heterosexual behavior. This timely volume also examines research with special populations, including African American youths, Latinos, both gay and straight residents of HIV-impacted communities, active drug users, and adolescents in countries that have different AIDS risk levels and public health policies. Representing the latest in research on safer sex and altering drug use behaviors, Understanding and Preventing HIV Risk Behavior will be a valuable resource for HIV-prevention researchers, community workers, and clinicians who want to utilize research findings in their HIV intervention programs. This volume will also benefit students seeking an up-to-date overview of research on HIV/AIDS risk behavior.

Table of Contents:
Understanding and Preventing HIV Risk Behavior - Suzanne C Thompson and Stuart Oskamp An Overview PART ONE: GENERAL PRINCIPLES Adolescents at Risk for AIDS - Ralph J DiClemente AIDS Epidemiology, and Prevalence and Incidence of HIV Adolescent Contraceptive Behavior - Nancy E Adler and Cynthia Rosengard Raging Hormones or Rational Decision-Making? Denial and the AIDS Crisis - Kathryn A Morris and William B Swann Jr On Wishing Away the Threat of AIDS The Role of Attraction in Partner Assessments and Heterosexual Risk for HIV - Leslie F Clark et al The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model of AIDS Risk Behavior Change - Jeffrey D Fisher and William A Fisher Empirical Support and Application PART TWO: SPECIAL POPULATIONS Social Psychological Influences on HIV Risk Behavior among African-American Youth - John B Jemmott III Cultural Issues in HIV Prevention for Latinos - Barbara VanOss Marín Should We Try to Change Gender Roles? Using a Theory-Based Community Intervention To Reduce AIDS Risk Behaviors - Martin Fishbein et al The CDC′s AIDS Community Demonstration Projects HIV Risk Interventions for Active Drug Users - Fen Rhodes and C Kevin Malotte Experience and Prospects Educational Policy, Adolescent Knowledge of HIV Risk, and Sexual Behavior in Zimbabwe and the United States - Michelle H Wierson and Jennifer L Bright