Pilot trial of an expressive writing intervention with HIV-positive methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men. Carrico, A. W., Nation, A., Gómez, W., Sundberg, J., Dilworth, S. E., Johnson, M. O., Moskowitz, J. T., & Rose, C. D. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 29(2):277–282, 2015.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the co-occurrence of trauma and stimulant use has negative implications for HIV/AIDS prevention. HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using MSM were recruited to pilot test a 7-session, multicomponent resilient affective processing (RAP) intervention that included expressive writing exercises targeting HIV-related traumatic stress. An open-phase pilot with 10 participants provided support for feasibility of intervention delivery such that 99% of the RAP sessions were completed in a 1-month period. Subsequently, 23 additional participants were enrolled in a pilot randomized controlled trial of the RAP intervention (n = 12) versus an attention-control condition that included writing exercises about neutral topics (n = 11). Acceptability was evidenced by participants randomized to RAP expressing significantly more negative emotions in their writing and reporting greater likelihood of recommending expressive writing exercises to a friend living with HIV. Over the 3-month follow-up period, attention-control participants reported significant decreases in HIV-related traumatic stress while RAP intervention participants reported no significant changes. Compared to attention-control participants, those in the RAP intervention reported significant reductions in the frequency of methamphetamine use immediately following the 1-month RAP intervention period. Thematic analyses of RAP expressive writing exercises revealed that multiple negative life events characterized by social stigma or loss contribute to the complex nature of HIV-related traumatic stress. Findings support the feasibility and acceptability of an exposure-based intervention targeting HIV-related traumatic stress. However, more intensive intervention approaches that simultaneously target trauma and stimulant use will likely be needed to optimize HIV/AIDS prevention efforts with this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
@article{carrico_pilot_2015,
	title = {Pilot trial of an expressive writing intervention with {HIV}-positive methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men},
	volume = {29},
	issn = {1939-1501(Electronic),0893-164X(Print)},
	doi = {10.1037/adb0000031},
	abstract = {Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the co-occurrence of trauma and stimulant use has negative implications for HIV/AIDS prevention. HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using MSM were recruited to pilot test a 7-session, multicomponent resilient affective processing (RAP) intervention that included expressive writing exercises targeting HIV-related traumatic stress. An open-phase pilot with 10 participants provided support for feasibility of intervention delivery such that 99\% of the RAP sessions were completed in a 1-month period. Subsequently, 23 additional participants were enrolled in a pilot randomized controlled trial of the RAP intervention (n = 12) versus an attention-control condition that included writing exercises about neutral topics (n = 11). Acceptability was evidenced by participants randomized to RAP expressing significantly more negative emotions in their writing and reporting greater likelihood of recommending expressive writing exercises to a friend living with HIV. Over the 3-month follow-up period, attention-control participants reported significant decreases in HIV-related traumatic stress while RAP intervention participants reported no significant changes. Compared to attention-control participants, those in the RAP intervention reported significant reductions in the frequency of methamphetamine use immediately following the 1-month RAP intervention period. Thematic analyses of RAP expressive writing exercises revealed that multiple negative life events characterized by social stigma or loss contribute to the complex nature of HIV-related traumatic stress. Findings support the feasibility and acceptability of an exposure-based intervention targeting HIV-related traumatic stress. However, more intensive intervention approaches that simultaneously target trauma and stimulant use will likely be needed to optimize HIV/AIDS prevention efforts with this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)},
	number = {2},
	journal = {Psychology of Addictive Behaviors},
	author = {Carrico, Adam W. and Nation, Austin and Gómez, Walter and Sundberg, Jeffrey and Dilworth, Samantha E. and Johnson, Mallory O. and Moskowitz, Judith T. and Rose, Carol Dawson},
	year = {2015},
	keywords = {HIV, Intervention, Methamphetamine, Same Sex Intercourse, Stress, Trauma, Written Communication, important},
	pages = {277--282}
}

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