Preventing HIV Among U.S. Women of Color With Severe Mental Illness: Perceptions of Mental Health Care Providers Working in Urban Community Clinics

Abstract

Given their knowledge of the behavioral issues related to psychiatric illness, mental health care providers are in a unique position to help prevent HIV among women with severe mental illness (SMI). We conducted in-depth interviews with providers at two New York City community clinics. We identified three major, interrelated themes pertaining to HIV prevention among women of color with SMI. Interventions that address the barriers that clinicians face in discussing sex, sexuality, and HIV with patients and train providers in the cultural considerations of cross-cultural mental health care are needed to help prevent HIV among women of color with SMI.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Emily Arnold, Lisa Brown, Hella von Unger, and Marcela Hoffer for their assistance with this study. The project was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), K01 MH01691 (PI: Pamela Y. Collins), and the research was conducted while Dr. Collins was a faculty member at Columbia University. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the NIMH or the U.S. government.