EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE INTERVENTION ON INJECTING DRUG USERS

Abstract

The Triple-S intervention was designed grounded in in Social Cognitive Learning Theory and Transtheoritical Model. The intervention focuses on enhancing participants’ motivation to adopt safer behavior and reduce their drug use through a process of observation, positive reinforcement, practicing, and sustaining behavior change. The quasi experimental study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Triple-S intervention that implemented with Injecting Drug User (IDU) in terms of level of drug injection i.e. rate of drug injection and OTI scale score, drug injection behaviors i.e. polydrug injection, drug mixing, injection at groin and injection site rotation, and harm reduction self-efficacy in three high risk conditions; withdrawal, negative emotions and social pressure conditions. The assessments were conducted four times; baseline, 1-, 3- and 6-month. Ninety participants were assigned to the Triple-S intervention (n=45) and the control group (n=45). Differences between groups were tested by using Chi-square, Independent t-test and Repeated Measured ANOVA. Findings suggested that the Triple-S intervention could significantly reduce the rate of drug injection compare to the control group (p-value<0.001). Unsafe drug injection behaviors were decreased in term of polydrug injection (p-value<0.01) and drug mixing (p-value<0.01). Participants in the Triple-S intervention group reported significantly higher harm reduction self-efficacy in all three high risk conditions at 3- and 6-month follow up. The results of this study may be taken to suggest the importance of behavior change intervention implemented with IDU. It can be applied to cover other harm reduction behaviors, integrated with existing services for IDU and implementation in different context.