ResearchProjects

Based on findings from an earlier Staying Safe study, the project developed a Staying Safe intervention curriculum to enhance people who inject drugs’ (PWID) capabilities to prevent HIV and HCV transmission. It helped PWIDs develop and implement long-term strategies to avoid contexts and circumstances associated with high-risk, as well as how to avoid risk behaviors when they are in these situations. The curriculum was pilot tested and examined for its acceptability, feasibility and safety and preliminary evidence of its efficacy. Findings will be used to develop a large-scale Staying Safe intervention study.

Abstract on NIH RePORTER

Meylakhs P, Friedman SR, Mateu-Gelabert P, Sandoval M, Meylakhs N (2015).
Taking care of themselves: How long-term injection drug users remain HIV and hepatitis C free
Sociology of Health and Illness, 37 (4), 626-641. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12226. PMCID: PMC4478155.

Mateu-Gelabert P, Gwadz MV, Guarino H, Sandoval M, Cleland CM, Jordan A, Hagan H, Lune H, Friedman SR (2014).
The Staying Safe Intervention: Training people who inject drugs in strategies to avoid injection-related HCV and HIV infection
AIDS Education and Prevention, 26 (2), 144-157. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2014.26.2.144. PMCID: PMC4039031.

Friedman SR, Mateu-Gelabert P, Sandoval M, Meylakhs P (2013).
Staying Safe: How you and others might avoid becoming infected with hepatitis C or HIV
Black Poppy Magazine.

Sirikantraporn S, Mateu-Gelabert P, Friedman SR, Sandoval M, Torruella RA (2012).
Resilience among IDUs: Planning strategies to help injection drug users to protect themselves and others from HIV/HCV infections
Substance Use and Misuse, 47 (10), 1125-1133. doi: 10.3109/10826084.2012.682324.

Vazan P, Mateu-Gelabert P, Cleland CM, Sandoval M, Friedman SR (2012).
Correlates of staying safe behaviors among long-term injection drug users: Psychometric evaluation of the staying safe questionnaire
AIDS and Behavior, 16 (6), 1471481. doi: 10.1007/s10461-011-0079-8. PMCID: PMC3402642.