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Preventing HIV/AIDS: A Brief Intervention for Adolescent Substance Abusers

NCJ Number
188776
Journal
Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 23-32
Author(s)
Deborah Deas; Carrie L. Randall; James S. Roberts
Editor(s)
Vincent B. Van Hasselt Ph.D., Brad Donohue Ph.D.
Date Published
2000
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a brief educational motivation intervention for HIV/AIDS risky behaviors in treatment seeking substance-abusing adolescents.
Abstract
Adolescents engaging in risky sexual behaviors and substance use are at a high risk of contracting HIV infection. Substance abusing adolescents, in particular, tend to engage in high risk HIV behaviors despite their knowledge of HIV/AIDS. To determine the effectiveness of a brief educational motivation intervention in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, 60 treatment seeking male and female substance abusing adolescents were randomly assigned to an experimental intervention or to a control group. The average length of stay for these adolescents was 5 days. The study revealed the involvement in alcohol and drugs may in part, play a role in the participation of HIV risky behaviors despite having adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS. There was no significant effect of the brief educational motivation intervention on self-reported HIV/AIDS risky behaviors over a 6-month follow-up period. The intervention took approximately 15 minutes. The length of the intervention may not have been sufficient enough to produce differences. A longer intervention or longer follow-up period was suggested to produce different results. In addition, education alone may not produce a sustained behavioral change. Study limitations were identified as; lack of accurate alcohol and drug use data over time, lack of a non-substance abuse control group, and the lack of a non-treatment seeking population of substance abusing adolescents. The results of this study may help future intervention efforts. References