HIV Prevention Intervention for Couples

Recent studies have shown that many drug-using minority women are vulnerable to HIV infection from their husbands or other intimate male partners. The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate two new HIV counseling and testing programs designed for drug-using women at risk for HIV from a primary male partner. It is predicted that HIV counseling and testing programs administered to couples rather than to women only, and programs that focus on intimate relationships in the context of HIV risk, will result in a reduction of risky sexual and drug-related behavior among drug-using women and their primary male partners. This four-year study employs a randomized clinical trial (RCT) design to test the effectiveness of two new HIV counseling and testing programs for women drug-users in Harlem and the South Bronx in New York City.