College students are at heightened behavioral risk for becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Many use condoms inconsistently and have multiple sex partners. Many college students also engage in heavy drinking, which is independently associated with increased HIV risk. Adding a drinking-reduction component may improve the efficacy of HIV risk-reduction interventions among heavy drinkers. Thus, the proposed research has three primary objectives: (1) To assess the independent and joint effects of a drinking risk-reduction intervention and an HIV risk-reduction intervention on HIV risk behavior. To this end, 200 heavy-drinking heterosexual college students at behavioral risk for HIV infection will be randomly assigned to receive no intervention, or an intervention that focuses on either reducing alcohol risk behavior, reducing HIV risk behavior, or both. Each intervention will consist of two sessions with a counselor (four weeks apart), during which the participant will receive personalized feedback on behavioral risk, will participate in motivational counseling, and will receive materials on strategies and sources of support for risk reduction. Primary dependent variables (assessed 3, 6, 9, and 15 months post-intake) will be condom use and number of sexual partners. Drinking outcomes and co-occurrence of alcohol use and sexual intercourse also will be assessed. (2) To examine the impact of participant gender on overall and differential response to the above interventions. Equal numbers of men and women will be recruited. Statistical tests will examine whether findings are generalizable across gender and, if they are not, how the findings differ by gender. (3) To explore the interrelation between change in alcohol abuse patterns and HIV risk behavior. Mediational analyses will provide critical information for interpreting between group differences. Findings from this study will have direct relevance to the implementation of HIV prevention interventions among heavy or problem drinkers, and to our understanding of the relationship between drinking and HIV risk behavior.
| Dermen, Kurt H; Thomas, Sherilyn N (2011) Randomized controlled trial of brief interventions to reduce college students' drinking and risky sex. Psychol Addict Behav 25:583-94 |
