Knowledge About HIV Transmission and Prevention Among Italian Patients With Psychiatric Disorders

For a study designed to examine the accuracy of information about HIV transmission, risk behavior, and preventive measures among individuals with psychiatric disorders in Italy, 214 psychiatric patients—114 outpatients and 100 inpatients—and 88 nonpsychiatric patients completed the AIDS Risk Behavior Knowledge Test. Levels of knowledge were lower among psychiatric patients than among control subjects. Patients with chronic illness and a diagnosis of schizophrenia were found to have less knowledge than other patients about HIV transmission. These findings confirm the need for HIV-related educational and behavior-modification programs for patients with chronic and severe mental illness in the community in Italy.