Abstract
Objective: Because of the paucity of controlled studies, we aimed to determine the STD Risk Behaviours of male chronically ill psychiatric outpatients compared to controls.
Method: Ninety-two male outpatients with major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and mood disorders, were individually matched for age and ethnicity with 92 men who had never been treated for psychiatric illness. The patients completed a semi-structured interview (response rate = 66%) on specific STD Risk Behaviours.
Results: Sexually active psychiatric patients were significantly more likely than controls to have known their sexual partner for less than one day, and to report having been pressured into unwanted sexual intercourse over the preceding year (χ2 = 7.45, d.f. = 1, p < 0.01; Fisher's Exact Test two-tailed p < 0.05 respectively). There was also a strong but not significant trend for sexually active patients to have had sex with a male partner and sexual intercourse with a drug user over the preceding year. Overall, the psychiatric patients answered the AIDS-knowledge questions significantly less well.
Conclusion: These results underscore the priority for developing STD risk prevention programmes for male psychiatrically ill outpatients.