BEing Safe in Treatment

Summary

Prior research has shown that many individuals with substance use disorders engage in HIV/sexual risk behaviors, and could strongly benefit from HIV prevention interventions that were delivered as part of their substance abuse treatment. However, discussions about sexual risk are not occurring at an appropriate frequency in treatment settings. This project will test the effects of counselor training and coaching, combined with a brief assessment and feedback tool, on counselor-patient communication about sex and on patient sexual risk behavior.

Conditions

• Risk Behavior
• Sex, Unsafe
• Substance Use
• Risk Reduction

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

BEST assessment only

Patients complete the BEST assessment, a self-report measure containing questions about patients' substance use, sexual risk behaviors, and partner risk levels.

BEHAVIORAL

BEST assessment plus feedback report

Patients complete the BEST assessment, a self-report measure containing questions about patients' substance use, sexual risk behaviors, and partner risk levels. Based on their responses they also receive a personalized feedback report that .provides individualized risk levels in five behavior domains: 1) number of partners, 2) riskiness of partners, 3) condom use, 4) riskiness of sex acts, and 5) sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

BEHAVIORAL

Standard Counselor Training

2 hours of training on how to use the BEST patient feedback report

BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced Counselor Training

Standard training (2 hrs) plus 8 additional hours (4 modules) of motivation/skills training on a) talking about sex with patients, b) basics of using Motivational Interviewing techniques to review a feedback report, c) teaching patients problem solving skills, and d) teaching patients relationship communication skills.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Washington

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-06-30

Primary Completion

2017-12-31

Completion

2017-12-31