Engaging HIV Patients in Primary Care by Promoting Acceptance

Engaging HIV Patients in Primary Care by Promoting Acceptance

Engagement in primary care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is a significant public health concern because reduced commitment to care puts PLWHA at risk for illness progression, death, and transmission of HIV to others. This project will develop a novel treatment, brief acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT), to promote self-acceptance of HIV status as a pathway to reducing engagement barriers. The clinical and public health impact of this project will be the development of a simple, low-cost, disseminable intervention that enhances longitudinal commitment to care so PLWHA can obtain effective medical treatments that will prolong survival and improve quality of life. We hypothesize that individuals randomized to brief ABBT will showed increased longitudinal attendance of primary care appointments.

Inclusion Criteria:

• new to the primary care clinic
• HIV+
• between 18 and 60 years old
• entering HIV care for the first time
• able to speak and read English sufficiently to be able to complete the study procedures
• have access to a telephone

Exclusion Criteria:

• psychiatrically or cognitively impaired