Black men at high risk of HIV/AIDS are focus of $2.2 million study

EDITORS: Prof. Gant is available for interviews at lmgant@umich.edu or (734) 763-5990. U-M can provide faculty interviews via professional studio and uplink capabilities.

ANN ARBOR—HIV/AIDS rates have increased dramatically among drug dependent Black men. A $2.2 million study by the University of Michigan School of Social Work hopes to evaluate the effectiveness of culturally specific HIV/AIDS risk reduction programs and to offer potential solutions for this mounting problem.

The study, referred to as Jemadari [pronounced “JEM a DAH ree”], is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse on HIV Risk Reduction for Drug Dependent Black Men. Larry Gant, associate professor of social work, along with School of Nursing Prof. Carol Boyd, will look at how coping skills, perceptions of personal control, ethnic identity, life satisfaction, and peer group support affect drug and risky sexual behavior. Culturally specific risk reduction programs take into account the unique factors affecting a particular culture of people—for this study, the factors affecting Black males.

According to Gant, mainstream residential drug treatment programs can have a significant impact on HIV/AIDS risk. However, several studies show that the effects of culturally specific programs can be more profound. Such strategies have been adapted to reducing both sex- and drug-related behavior for drug dependent Black women and youth. No such programs have been developed for Black men.

Gant hopes to uncover culturally specific programs that may be helpful for drug dependent Black males. Such programs would need to incorporate the special needs and perspectives of this population—specifically the unique dynamics of sex- and drug-behavior within the context of relationships, social support, self-perception and employment. Few studies have examined the conditions under which culturally specific programs may or may not be successful in relationship to existing mainstream programs.

Over 600 Black men will participate in the study, which will be coordinated by principal investigator Gant and co-principal investigator Boyd, who is also the director of the U-M Substance Abuse Research Center. The study will run from

Founded in 1921, the U-M School of Social Work is ranked #1 nationally (US News & World Report) and is one of the largest schools of social work in the United States. For more information, visit the school’s Web site at http://www.ssw.umich.edu/.

E-mail: ntannen@umich.edu

lmgant@umich.eduSchool of Social WorkLarry GantSubstance Abuse Research Centerhttp://www.ssw.umich.edu/ntannen@umich.edu