Efficacy of a Small-Group Intervention for Post-Incarcerated Black Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women (MSMW).

We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a six-session behavioral intervention designed to reduce frequency of condomless sex and numbers of sex partners among recently incarcerated, bisexual Black men. One hundred participants were assigned to the small-group intervention, Men in Life Environments (MILE), and 112 were assigned to the control condition. Among those assigned to MILE, 69% attended at least one session, 88% of whom attended all sessions.

Stigma and Family Relationships of Middle-Aged Gay Men in Recovery.

The primary objective of this study was to explore how middle-aged gay men in recovery cope with stigma and family relationships. For gay men, perceptions of acceptance of their sexual orientation and degree of social connectedness can play a role in their recovery from alcohol and substance use disorders. Yet gay men may have a more difficult time accessing certain family-level health resources because their families of origin may stigmatize, reject or silence them on account of their sexual orientation.

Facilitators of HIV Medical Care Engagement Among Former Prisoners.

Linkage to and retention in medical care is a concern for HIV-positive individuals leaving custody settings in the United States. The minimal existing research points to low rates of entry into care in the months following release and lapsed viral control among releasees who are subsequently reincarcerated. We conducted seven small focus group discussions with 27 HIVpositive individuals who were recently incarcerated in a California State prison to understand those factors that facilitated linkage to and retention in HIV care following their release.

Partnerships between Black Women and Behaviorally Bisexual Men: Implications for HIV Risk and Prevention.

Although an estimated 87% of new HIV infections in Black/African American women are attributed to sex with men, many women are unaware of their male partners' HIV risk factors. Research on women who are aware of a high-risk male partner may inform HIV prevention. We analyzed transcripts from semi-structured interviews with 20 Black women who reported sex with at least one man who had sex with men and women (MSMW) in the prior 5 years.

Negotiating Emotional Support: Sober Gay Latinos and their Families.

This study explores how sober gay Latino men obtain support from their families. Familial ties can be a protective health factor, yet many gay Latinos experience rejection from family members because of their sexuality. There are very few studies that examine the extent and quality of emotional support from kin for this population.

A Condom Distribution Program in the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail: Sheriff Deputies' Attitudes and Opinions.

The K6G unit of Los Angeles Men's Central Jail is comprised of males who have sex with males (MSM), whether gay, bisexual, or transgender. Within this unit, condoms are distributed to inmates, one condom per week. The current study was conducted to better understand the experiences and opinions of jail staff as they pertain to the condom distribution program's effectiveness and impact on jail safety and management.

HIV prevention among incarcerated male adolescents in an alternative school setting.

This pilot project tested the feasibility of an evidence-based HIV Intervention Program (HIP) program among 64 male youth, most of whom were African American or Hispanic, in Los Angeles County probation camps. Comparisons were made between adolescents who participated in HIP and a control group on changes in (a) condom use, (b) sexual intercourse under the influence of drugs, (c) knowledge of HIV prevention behaviors, and (d) attitudes toward condom use. Compared to the control group, the intervention group demonstrated significant increases in condom use and significant decreases in their endorsement of the attitude, ''If you want to use a condom, your boy-friend or girlfriend might think you don't trust them.

Motivation to quit as a mediator of tobacco cessation among at-risk youth.

The purpose of this study is twofold: 1) to evaluate the effects of a smoking cessation clinic (Project EX) on changing motivation to quit smoking, and 2) to assess differences in quit rates based on these changes in motivation. Student smokers in 18 continuation high schools in the Los Angeles county area were invited to participate in a tobacco cessation clinic designed to enhance motivation to quit tobacco use. The 18 schools were randomly assigned to one of three conditions.

Project EX: A Program of Empirical Research on Adolescent Tobacco Use Cessation.

This paper presents the Project EX research program. The historical background for Project EX is presented, including a brief summary of reasons youth fail to quit tobacco use, the disappointing status of previous cessation research, and the teen cessation trial that provided the template for the current project (Project TNT). Next, program development studies for Project EX are described.

Project Towards No Drug Abuse: two-year outcomes of a trial that compares health educator delivery to self-instruction.

Objectives: This paper describes the 2-year follow-up of a 12-session version of an indicated drug abuse prevention program, Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND). Self-instruction programming often is used to help youth that are at high risk for dropout and drug abuse to complete their high school education. However, a health educator-led program is much more interactive.

The associations of social self-control, personality disorders, and demographics with drug use among high-risk youth.

A 10-item self-report measure of social self-control was examined for its association with substance use, controlling for its associations with 12 personality disorder indices and 4 demographic variables among a sample of 1050 high-risk youth. Social self-control was found to be associated with 30-day cigarette smoking, alcohol use, marijuana use, and hard drug use, controlling for these other variables. The most consistent concurrent predictors of substance use were male gender, antisocial personality disorder, and social self-control.

Tracking procedures for locating high-risk youth.

Few published works are available that provide a comprehensive description of tracking procedures. This article describes the data collection tracking protocol that was used in Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND), to follow high-risk youth over a 5 1/2 year period. Youth were followed from 1994 through 2000.

Development and immediate impact of a self-instruction curriculum for an adolescent indicated drug abuse prevention trial.

This article describes the development and immediate impact of a self-instruction indicated drug abuse prevention program, Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND). Self-instruction programming often is used to help youth that are at high risk for dropout and drug abuse to complete their high school education, and is a method of choice among educators at alternative high schools. This article describes the justification for the self-instruction program, keys to good programmed self-learning, and how a 12-session health educator delivered program was converted to a self-instruction format.