Mixing It Up: Integrating Men and Women Living With HIV/AIDS in Prevention Groups

The current study was conducted to examine the impact of mixing genders in intervention groups targeted toward HIV-positive men and women. The gender composition of groups in a randomized clinical control trial was examined in relation to participant group attendance and group satisfaction measures. The regression model for men in the risk reduction condition was significant; however, the model was not significant for women in the same condition. The findings indicate that mixing genders in this intervention had no negative impact on women's group satisfaction and may have positively impacted men's group satisfaction. In practice, mixedgender intervention groups can be a helpful option for delivering programs to diverse populations, especially when resources are limited within community-based organizations. Although more thorough investigation is needed, this study supports the idea that mixing genders may be a viable option in practice.