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PhD Thesis - Baker, A

Motivational interviewing and relapse prevention interventions for HIV risk reduction among injecting drug users
Baker A (1996)

Abstract:
This thesis attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of relapse prevention (RP) and brief interventions (BIs) in the reduction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk-taking behaviour among injecting drug users (IDUs). The first randomised controlled trial compared the effectiveness of RP, a BI and a non-intervention control (NIC) condition in reducing HIV risk-taking behaviour among 95 IDUs enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). There was evidence of a lower rate of injecting risk-taking behaviour (sharing and cleaning) during the highest risk-taking month since pre-intervention assessment in the RP group. There were no indications that a BI provided any benefit over usual MMT and neither intervention appeared to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviour.

The second randomised controlled trial compared the effectiveness of a BI and a NIC condition in reducing HIV risk-taking behaviour among 200 IDUs not enrolled in any form of treatment for drug dependence. There were significant reductions for the sample as a whole in injecting risk-taking behaviour between pre-intervention and follow-up. There was no significant change in sexual risk-taking behaviour. There were no significant differences between groups on any measure at 3- and 6-month follow-up.

A third study compared the HIV risk-taking behaviour of IDUs currently, previously and never enrolled in MMT. The current MMT group showed significantly lower injecting risk-taking behaviour than the previous MMT and non-MMT groups together. The current MMT group differed most clearly from the other two groups in the frequency of injecting rather than in sharing and cleaning behaviours. There were no other significant differences between groups.

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