HIV risk sensitization following a detailed sexual behavior interview: A preliminary investigation

We administered a detailed structured interview of sexual HIV risk behavior to 110 college students (46% women; mean age = 19.7 years, range = 18-41 y ears) and assessed their perceived risk of HIV infection before and after t he interview. The sexual behavior assessment consisted of 29 single-item fr equency questions, followed by a 90-day Timeline Followback interview Resul ts indicate that sexually active participants experienced HIV risk sensitiz ation during the interview. whereas participants who were not sexually acti ve did not. Al,long the sexually active participants, those who hart multip le sexual partners were more sensitized to their risk than participants wit h only one partner and those who engaged in vaginal sex evidenced increased risk perception, but participants who had only oral sex did not. These fin dings indicate that detailed sexual behavior assessments influence particip ants' motivation to reduce their risk behavior: This may be helpful in incr easing the effectiveness of brief risk behavior interventions such as HIV c ounseling and testing. These findings may also have implications for the ge neralizability, of HIV prevention interventions to contexts that no not inc lude such detailed assessments.