This investigation will develop, apply and evaluate AIDS prevention strategies with Black and Hispanic men and women in detoxification and methadone maintenance programs. The study responds to the observed problem of low retention rates in drug treatment programs, builds on the positive findings of relapse prevention research, and extends the nascent promise that individuals can alter behavior that increases their risk of contracting and transmitting the HIV virus. The proposed investigation is divided into four phases: a developmental phase, a pilot phase, an initial field trial, and a second field phase. Developmental and pilot phases will lay the foundation for a full scale field trial incorporating a 2 x 2 longitudinal design and two cohorts of opiate addicts in treatment programs. The study will ask: 1) What are the effects of relapse prevention groups on continued participation in drug treatment programs? 2) What are the immediate and long term outcomes of skills-based AIDS prevention groups on sexual activity and drug use? 3) Compared with AIDS information groups, what are the relative and combined effects of relapse prevention and AIDS prevention components on the risk patterns of Black and Hispanic addicts? 4) How do covariates such as intentions at program entry, drug use history, family involvement and life events predict and interact with intervention outcomes of program participation, drug use, and sexual behavior? A secondary line of inquiry will focus on addicts who are not enrolled in treatment programs.
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