The proposed five year investigation has two aims: (1) to determine the effects of a group empowerment intervention on social support seeking and satisfaction, coping, depressed mood, and safe sex maintenance among Puerto Rican HIV+ gay men (Study l), and (2) to describe the process and psychosocial status of Puerto Rican HIV+ heterosexual women (Study 2). Study l with HIV+ gay men will test for the effects of a 12-session (3 months) empowerment group intervention on changes in the ways of coping with HIV stressors, increases in disclosures of HIV+ status, decreases in depressed mood, increases in number of sources of social support, and changes in emotional responses to HIV/AIDS loss. Also, the intervention will promote changes in sexual practices: increase in the number of times that they have safer sex with primary and casual partners and decreases in unsafe sexual encounters, and increases in self-efficacy for condom use. 300 HIV+ Puerto Rican gay men will be recruited and randomly assigned to either group empowerment and two control conditions: a wait list and social contact control condition. Relapse to unsafe sex will be performed 12 months after the intervention. Study 2 with HIV+ heterosexual women will explore and describe stressful situations that they encounter after being diagnosed as HIV+. We will identify how these women uniquely cope with HIV belated stressor. in addition, a descriptive psychosocial profile and the perceived needs and resources of these women will be gathered by means of a questionnaire. Focused groups will be also conducted with these thirty women. Transcribed tapes of these meetings will be submitted to content analysis in the following areas: social impact of HIV+ or HIV- children; and how HIV has affected their options about future pregnancies and reproductive rights. Both studies are an attempt to respond to the current dearth of knowledge on how HIV affects Puerto Ricans and Latino groups in general, given their extraordinarily high HIV seroprevalence rates.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Resource-Related Research Projects (R24)
Project #
5R24MH049368-08
Application #
6204895
Study Section
Project Start
1999-09-01
Project End
2000-08-31
Budget Start
1997-10-01
Budget End
1998-09-30
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
San Juan
State
PR
Country
United States
Zip Code
00931
Pérez-Jiménez, David; Seal, David Wyatt; Ronis, David L (2014) A Pilot Intervention to Promote Safer Sex in Heterosexual Puerto Rican Couples. Couple Family Psychol 3:193-206
Reyes-Rodriguez, Mae Lynn; Rivera-Medina, Carmen L; Camara-Fuentes, Luis et al. (2013) Depression symptoms and stressful life events among college students in Puerto Rico. J Affect Disord 145:324-30
Pérez-Jiménez, David; Orengo-Aguayo, Rosaura E (2012) Rev Puertorriquena Psicol 23:48-61
Bauermeister, José J; Barkley, Russell A; Bauermeister, José A et al. (2012) Validity of the sluggish cognitive tempo, inattention, and hyperactivity symptom dimensions: neuropsychological and psychosocial correlates. J Abnorm Child Psychol 40:683-97
Pérez-Jiménez, David; Orengo-Aguayo, Rosaura E (2011) Qualitative analysis of an educational intervention with HIV-discordant heterosexual Latino couples. P R Health Sci J 30:188-94
Rivera-Medina, Carmen L; Caraballo, José Noel; Rodríguez-Cordero, Elí R et al. (2010) Factor structure of the CES-D and measurement invariance across gender for low-income Puerto Ricans in a probability sample. J Consult Clin Psychol 78:398-408
Hernandez-Hernandez, Alberto L; Perez-Jimenez, David (2010) [Barriers and Facilitators in the Recruitment and Retention of Heterosexual Couples for Preventive Interventions.] Interam J Psychol 44:19-27
Pérez-Jiménez, David; Escabí Montalvo, Aracelis; Del Carmen Cabrera Aponte, María (2010) Desarrollo de una intervención grupal para la prevención del VIH en parejas heterosexuales. Rev Puertorriquena Psicol 21:7-34
Santiago-Rivas, Marimer; Perez-Jimenez, David (2009) Modeling HIV Prevention Strategies among Two Puerto Rican Samples. Interam J Psychol 43:333-339
Perez-Jimenez, David; Seal, David W; Serrano-Garcia, Irma (2009) Barriers and facilitators of HIV prevention with heterosexual Latino couples: beliefs of four stakeholder groups. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 15:11-7

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