This proposed 5-year project is targeted for women who are principal agents in the heterosexual and perinatal transmission of AIDS. This population comprises particularly women of color who are intravenous (IV) drug users, sexual partners of IV drug users, prostitutes, women diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases and the inner city Black and Hispanic homeless women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are of childbearing age This study proposes a Nurse Counseling and HIV Testing Program which will be provided at select community sites and by mobile vehicle for the difficult to reach population by ethnic nurse counselors and trained community minority women to reduce the incidence of intravenous, sexual, and perinatal transmission of HIV infection. Participants in the program will receive assistance in completing the Coping Assessment Inventory (CAI) pretest which will assess information on high-risk behaviors, such as sharing of needles and syringes and unprotected sexual behaviors and other coping responses, perceived coping effectiveness, needs and concerns, resources available and utilized and knowledge of AIDS and HIV transmission. Such information will assist the nurse counselors in individualizing the educational and psychologically supportive counseling which will be implemented by means of culturally appropriate videotapes and individualized counseling before and after HIV antibody testing. Individual and group support sessions are planned for seropositive and other slecet participants. The CAI will be completed before and after all counseling sessions to evaluate the effect of the program on 1) decreasing high-risk drug-related and sexual behaviors; 2) improving the quality of coping responses and perceived coping effectiveness; 3) decreasing the emotional distress experienced; 4) increasing the personal and community resources available and utilized; and 5) improving knowledge level of AIDS and transmission of HIV infection. In addition, an increase in the number of trained ethnic minority women in the community will enhance community involvement and strengthen the goals of the program.
