HIV risk factors for persons with serious mental illness

HIV risk factors were assessed among 120 persons in treatment for serious mental illness. Although subjects had good general knowledge regarding HIV, many engaged in high risk behaviors. Condom use was infrequent among those who had multiple sexual partners, and sharing needles was common for those...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Community mental health journal 1994-12, Vol.30 (6), p.551-563
Main Authors: KNOX, M. D, BOAZ, T. L, FRIEDRICH, M. A, DOW, M. G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Adult
AIDS
AIDS/HIV
Biological and medical sciences
Condoms - statistics & numerical data
Female
Health Education
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
HIV
HIV Infections - prevention & control
HIV Infections - psychology
HIV Infections - transmission
HIV Seropositivity - psychology
HIV Seropositivity - transmission
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mental Illness
Mentally ill people
Patient Admission
Personality Assessment
Prevention and actions
Prevention. Health policy. Planification
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology
Psychotic Disorders - psychology
Psychotic Disorders - rehabilitation
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk
Risk Factors
Severely
Sexual Behavior
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Social research
Specific populations (family, woman, child, elderly...)
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Summary:HIV risk factors were assessed among 120 persons in treatment for serious mental illness. Although subjects had good general knowledge regarding HIV, many engaged in high risk behaviors. Condom use was infrequent among those who had multiple sexual partners, and sharing needles was common for those who used i.v. drugs. Clearly, factual knowledge about HIV was not sufficient to prevent risky behavior. Nearly half of the sample was categorized as at medium to high risk, and almost half of the participants, especially those at medium risk, underestimated their own level of risk. The results suggest that education and intervention strategies should focus on increasing the accuracy of the individual's risk assessment as well as changing attitudes towards condoms and improving skills in using condoms. Assessing personal risk and adopting risk-reduction strategies are the keys to successful AIDS prevention for persons with serious mental illness.
ISSN:0010-3853
1573-2789
DOI:10.1007/BF02188592