Knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention among Italian patients with psychiatric disorders

For a study designed to examine the accuracy of information about HIV trans mission, risk behavior, and preventive measures among individuals with psyc hiatric disorders in Italy, 214 psychiatric patients-114 outpatients and 10 0 inpatients-and 88 nonpsychiatric patients completed the AIDS Risk Behavio r Knowledge Test, Levels of knowledge were lower among psychiatric patients than among control subjects. Patients with chronic illness and a diagnosis of schizophrenia were found to have less knowledge than other patients abo ut HIV transmission. These findings confirm the need for HIV-related educat ional and behavior-modification programs for patients with chronic and seve re mental illness in the community in Italy.