HIV/AIDS risk reduction and domestic violence prevention intervention for South African men

Abstract

South Africa has among the worst HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world, and HIV/AIDS is closely associated with adversarial attitudes toward women and with domestic violence. This article reports the development of a social-cognitive and social-constructionist, gender-based intervention for working with HIV/AIDS patients and preventing domestic violence. Five three-hour group sessions were tailored to and targeted African men. They included elements of reframing gender relations and teaching skills to reduce HIV risk and change social norms. The intervention was also network-based. Group members were recruited by former group members using techniques derived from respondent driven sampling and network-based HIV prevention efforts. A test of the intervention with 99 men living in a Cape Town township demonstrated its feasibility and provided evidence that it increased knowledge about AIDS, improved understanding of stigma associated with the illness, and led to behavior changes related to self-efficacy, behavioral intentions and attitudes toward women. The intervention shows promise for understanding the relation between HIV/AIDS and domestic violence prevention among South African men.