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Kathleen J Sikkema

Kathleen J Sikkema

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Duke Population Research Institute
Contact Info 
Location: 245 Soc/Psych
Office Phone: (919) 684-9073
Email Address:  send me a message
Mailing Address: Duke University Box 90086 Durham, NC 27708-0086
Teaching (Fall 2012):

  • PSY 797.01, PROF ISSUES IN CLINICAL PSYCH Synopsis
    TBA, Th 11:45 AM-01:00 PM
Education:
  • Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1991
  • M.S., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988

Research Interests:
HIV/AIDS, community intervention trials, coping and secondary HIV prevention intervention trials, South Africa

Research Summary:
Kathleen J. Sikkema, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Global Health, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, is a clinical psychologist with emphases in health and community psychology, and the Director of the Social and Behavioral Science Core in Duke's Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). She is an internationally recognized expert in the conduct of randomized, controlled HIV prevention and mental health intervention trials. Dr. Sikkema’s research has been supported by the National Institute Health for nearly 20 years and her interventions have been recognized by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and NREPP as “best evidence interventions” for HIV prevention.

Dr. Sikkema's research is focused on the development and evaluation of HIV risk behavior change interventions, with expertise in community-level interventions. She has served as the P.I. of two multi-site, community level interventions trials, one undertaken with women and the other with adolescents living in low-income housing developments in geographically diverse U.S. cities. Dr. Sikkema conducted two other prevention intervention studies, one with abused women in South Africa and the other among persons with severe mental illness who are formerly homeless and currently living in supportive housing programs. She is currently testing a brief, primary care-based risk reduction intervention for newly diagnosed men, and has conducted research related to acute HIV infection.

Dr. Sikkema also conducts research on the development of HIV-related coping and secondary prevention interventions and has been the PI of three randomized, controlled trials evaluating group interventions for men and women with HIV. Her HIV mental health research has focused on developing group intervention models to assist persons with HIV disease who are coping with HIV-related stressors. These include AIDS-related loss and bereavement, traumatic stress due to childhood sexual abuse, and issues specific to coping with HIV among men and women over 50 years of age.

Dr. Sikkema is currently involved in three South African studies, one to evaluate the effectiveness of a family-based intervention to increase resiliency among children with HIV-positive mothers, another to develop a risk reduction intervention for adolescents in biomedical prevention trials, and a multimethod and multilevel longitudinal study to inform development of innovative intervention approaches related to gender and alcohol use.

Curriculum Vitae
Representative Publications   (More Publications)

  1. KJ Sikkema, MH Watt, CS Meade, KW Ranby, SC Kalichman, D Skinner, D Pieterse, Mental health and HIV sexual risk behavior among patrons of alcohol serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa., Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes, vol. 57 no. 3 (July, 2011), pp. 230-7 [doi]  [abs].
  2. N Tarakeshwar, AK Srikrishnan, S Johnson, C Vasu, S Solomon, M Merson, K Sikkema, A social cognitive model of health for HIV-positive adults receiving care in India., AIDS and behavior, United States, vol. 11 no. 3 (May, 2007), pp. 491-504  [abs].
  3. KJ Sikkema, NB Hansen, A Kochman, J Santos, MH Watt, PA Wilson, A Delorenzo, J Laudato, G Mayer, The Development and Feasibility of a Brief Risk Reduction Intervention for Newly HIV-Diagnosed Men Who Have Sex with Men., Journal of community psychology, vol. 39 no. 6 (August, 2011), pp. 717-732 [doi]  [abs].
  4. KJ Sikkema, MH Watt, AS Drabkin, CS Meade, NB Hansen, BW Pence, Mental health treatment to reduce HIV transmission risk behavior: a positive prevention model., AIDS and behavior, vol. 14 no. 2 (2010), pp. 252-62 [doi]  [abs].
  5. CS Meade, KJ Sikkema, Psychiatric and psychosocial correlates of sexual risk behavior among adults with severe mental illness., Community mental health journal, vol. 43 no. 2 (April, 2007), pp. 153-69 [doi]  [abs].
  6. KJ Sikkema, SA Neufeld, NB Hansen, R Mohlahlane, MJ Van Rensburg, MH Watt, AM Fox, M Crewe, Integrating HIV prevention into services for abused women in South Africa., AIDS and behavior, vol. 14 no. 2 (2010), pp. 431-9 [doi]  [abs].
  7. KJ Sikkema, PA Wilson, NB Hansen, A Kochman, S Neufeld, MS Ghebremichael, T Kershaw, Effects of a coping intervention on transmission risk behavior among people living with HIV/AIDS and a history of childhood sexual abuse., Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes, vol. 47 no. 4 (April, 2008), pp. 506-13 [doi]  [abs].
  8. N Tarakeshwar, N Khan, KJ Sikkema, A relationship-based framework of spirituality for individuals with HIV., AIDS and behavior, vol. 10 no. 1 (January, 2006), pp. 59-70 [doi]  [abs].
  9. KJ Sikkema, NB Hansen, A Kochman, N Tarakeshwar, S Neufeld, CS Meade, AM Fox, Outcomes from a group intervention for coping with HIV/AIDS and childhood sexual abuse: reductions in traumatic stress., AIDS and behavior, vol. 11 no. 1 (January, 2007), pp. 49-60 [doi]  [abs].
  10. ES Anderson, DA Wagstaff, TG Heckman, RA Winett, RA Roffman, LJ Solomon, V Cargill, JA Kelly, KJ Sikkema, Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model: testing direct and mediated treatment effects on condom use among women in low-income housing., Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 31 no. 1 (February, 2006), pp. 70-9 [doi]  [abs].
  11. KJ Sikkema, NB Hansen, M Ghebremichael, A Kochman, N Tarakeshwar, CS Meade, H Zhang, A randomized controlled trial of a coping group intervention for adults with HIV who are AIDS bereaved: longitudinal effects on grief., Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, vol. 25 no. 5 (September, 2006), pp. 563-70 [doi]  [abs].
  12. NB Hansen, N Tarakeshwar, M Ghebremichael, H Zhang, A Kochman, KJ Sikkema, Longitudinal effects of coping on outcome in a randomized controlled trial of a group intervention for HIV-positive adults with AIDS-related bereavement., Death studies, vol. 30 no. 7 (September, 2006), pp. 609-36 [doi]  [abs].
  13. N Tarakeshwar, NB Hansen, A Kochman, A Fox, KJ Sikkema, Resiliency among individuals with childhood sexual abuse and HIV: perspectives on addressing sexual trauma., Journal of traumatic stress, vol. 19 no. 4 (August, 2006), pp. 449-60 [doi]  [abs].
  14. KJ Sikkema, ES Anderson, JA Kelly, RA Winett, C Gore-Felton, RA Roffman, TG Heckman, K Graves, RG Hoffmann, MJ Brondino, Outcomes of a randomized, controlled community-level HIV prevention intervention for adolescents in low-income housing developments., AIDS (London, England), vol. 19 no. 14 (September, 2005), pp. 1509-16 [doi]  [abs].
  15. NB Hansen, KJ Sikkema, Treating posttraumatic stress disorder in people with HIV., Focus (San Francisco, Calif.), vol. 21 no. 4 (April, 2006), pp. 5-6 [doi]  [abs].
  16. KJ Sikkema, NB Hansen, CS Meade, A Kochman, RS Lee, Improvements in health-related quality of life following a group intervention for coping with AIDS-bereavement among HIV-infected men and women., Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, vol. 14 no. 4 (May, 2005), pp. 991-1005 [doi]  [abs].
  17. AP Johnson-Masotti, SD Pinkerton, KJ Sikkema, JA Kelly, DA Wagstaff, Cost-effectiveness of a community-level HIV risk reduction intervention for women living in low-income housing developments., The journal of primary prevention, vol. 26 no. 4 (July, 2005), pp. 345-62 [doi]  [abs].
  18. KJ Sikkema, JA Kelly, RA Winett, LJ Solomon, VA Cargill, RA Roffman, TL McAuliffe, TG Heckman, EA Anderson, DA Wagstaff, AD Norman, MJ Perry, DA Crumble, MB Mercer, Outcomes of a randomized community-level HIV prevention intervention for women living in 18 low-income housing developments., American journal of public health, vol. 90 no. 1 (January, 2000), pp. 57-63 [doi]  [abs].
  19. CS Meade, KJ Sikkema, HIV risk behavior among adults with severe mental illness: a systematic review., Clinical psychology review, vol. 25 no. 4 (June, 2005), pp. 433-57 [doi]  [abs].
  20. B Kloos, SM Gross, KJ Meese, CS Meade, JD Doughty, DD Hawkins, SO Zimmerman, DL Snow, KJ Sikkema, Negotiating risk: knowledge and use of HIV prevention by persons with serious mental illness living in supportive housing., American journal of community psychology, vol. 36 no. 3-4 (December, 2005), pp. 357-72 [doi]  [abs].
  21. CS Meade, KJ Sikkema, Voluntary HIV testing among adults with severe mental illness: frequency and associated factors., AIDS and behavior, vol. 9 no. 4 (December, 2005), pp. 465-73 [doi]  [abs].
  22. TG Heckman, ES Anderson, KJ Sikkema, A Kochman, SC Kalichman, T Anderson, Emotional distress in nonmetropolitan persons living with HIV disease enrolled in a telephone-delivered, coping improvement group intervention., Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, vol. 23 no. 1 (January, 2004), pp. 94-100 [doi]  [abs].
  23. KJ Sikkema, MJ Brondino, ES Anderson, C Gore-Felton, JA Kelly, RA Winett, TG Heckman, RA Roffman, HIV risk behavior among ethnically diverse adolescents living in low-income housing developments., The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, vol. 35 no. 2 (August, 2004), pp. 141-50 [doi]  [abs].
  24. KJ Sikkema, NB Hansen, N Tarakeshwar, A Kochman, DC Tate, RS Lee, The clinical significance of change in trauma-related symptoms following a pilot group intervention for coping with HIV-AIDS and childhood sexual trauma., AIDS and behavior, vol. 8 no. 3 (September, 2004), pp. 277-91 [doi]  [abs].
  25. KJ Sikkema, A Kochman, W DiFranceisco, JA Kelly, RG Hoffmann, AIDS-related grief and coping with loss among HIV-positive men and women., Journal of behavioral medicine, vol. 26 no. 2 (April, 2003), pp. 165-81 [doi]  [abs].
  26. SC Kalichman, KJ Sikkema, K DiFonzo, W Luke, J Austin, Emotional adjustment in survivors of sexual assault living with HIV-AIDS., Journal of traumatic stress, vol. 15 no. 4 (August, 2002), pp. 289-96 [doi]  [abs].
  27. TG Heckman, BD Heckman, A Kochman, KJ Sikkema, J Suhr, K Goodkin, Psychological symptoms among persons 50 years of age and older living with HIV disease., Aging & mental health, vol. 6 no. 2 (May, 2002), pp. 121-8 [doi]  [abs].
  28. TG Heckman, A Kochman, KJ Sikkema, SC Kalichman, J Masten, J Bergholte, S Catz, A pilot coping improvement intervention for late middle-aged and older adults living with HIV/AIDS in the USA., AIDS care, vol. 13 no. 1 (February, 2001), pp. 129-39 [doi]  [abs].
  29. KJ Sikkema, SC Kalichman, R Hoffmann, JJ Koob, JA Kelly, TG Heckman, Coping strategies and emotional wellbeing among HIV-infected men and women experiencing AIDS-related bereavement., AIDS care, vol. 12 no. 5 (October, 2000), pp. 613-24 [doi]  [abs].
  30. SC Kalichman, T Heckman, A Kochman, K Sikkema, J Bergholte, Depression and thoughts of suicide among middle-aged and older persons living with HIV-AIDS., Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), UNITED STATES, vol. 51 no. 7 (July, 2000), pp. 903-7  [abs].
  31. TG Heckman, A Kochman, KJ Sikkema, SC Kalichman, J Masten, K Goodkin, Late middle-aged and older men living with HIV/AIDS: race differences in coping, social support, and psychological distress., Journal of the National Medical Association, vol. 92 no. 9 (September, 2000), pp. 436-44 [doi]  [abs].
  32. SC Kalichman, JA Kelly, KJ Sikkema, AP Koslov, A Shaboltas, J Granskaya, The emerging AIDS crisis in Russia: review of enabling factors and prevention needs., International journal of STD & AIDS, vol. 11 no. 2 (February, 2000), pp. 71-5 [doi]  [abs].
  33. W DiFranceisco, JA Kelly, KJ Sikkema, AM Somlai, DA Murphy, LY Stevenson, Differences between completers and early dropouts from 2 HIV intervention trials: a health belief approach to understanding prevention program attrition., American journal of public health, vol. 88 no. 7 (July, 1998), pp. 1068-73 [doi]  [abs].
  34. JA Kelly, LL Otto-Salaj, KJ Sikkema, SD Pinkerton, FR Bloom, Implications of HIV treatment advances for behavioral research on AIDS: protease inhibitors and new challenges in HIV secondary prevention., Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, vol. 17 no. 4 (July, 1998), pp. 310-9 [doi]  [abs].
  35. KJ Sikkema, RT Bissett, Concepts, goals, and techniques of counseling: review and implications for HIV counseling and testing., AIDS education and prevention : official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education, vol. 9 no. 3 Suppl (June, 1997), pp. 14-26 [doi]  [abs].
  36. JA Kelly, TL McAuliffe, KJ Sikkema, DA Murphy, AM Somlai, G Mulry, JG Miller, LY Stevenson, MI Fernandez, Reduction in risk behavior among adults with severe mental illness who learned to advocate for HIV prevention., Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), vol. 48 no. 10 (October, 1997), pp. 1283-8 [doi]  [abs].
  37. AM Somlai, JA Kelly, SC Kalichman, G Mulry, KJ Sikkema, T McAuliffe, K Multhauf, B Davantes, An empirical investigation of the relationship between spirituality, coping, and emotional distress in people living with HIV infection and AIDS., Journal of pastoral care, vol. 50 no. 2 (1996), pp. 181-91 [doi]  [abs].
  38. KJ Sikkema, TG Heckman, JA Kelly, ES Anderson, RA Winett, LJ Solomon, DA Wagstaff, RA Roffman, MJ Perry, V Cargill, DA Crumble, RW Fuqua, AD Norman, MB Mercer, HIV risk behaviors among women living in low-income, inner-city housing developments., American journal of public health, vol. 86 no. 8 (August, 1996), pp. 1123-8 [doi]  [abs].
  39. SC Kalichman, KJ Sikkema, A Somlai, People living with HIV infection who attend and do not attend support groups: a pilot study of needs, characteristics and experiences., AIDS care, vol. 8 no. 5 (October, 1996), pp. 589-99 [doi]  [abs].
  40. SC Kalichman, KJ Sikkema, A Somlai, Assessing persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection using the Beck Depression Inventory: disease processes and other potential confounds., Journal of personality assessment, vol. 64 no. 1 (February, 1995), pp. 86-100 [doi]  [abs].
  41. KJ Sikkema, RA Winett, DN Lombard, Development and evaluation of an HIV-risk reduction program for female college students., AIDS education and prevention : official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education, vol. 7 no. 2 (April, 1995), pp. 145-59 [doi]  [abs].
  42. TG Heckman, JA Kelly, KJ Sikkema, RR Roffman, LJ Solomon, RA Winett, LY Stevenson, MJ Perry, AD Norman, LJ Desiderato, Differences in HIV risk characteristics between bisexual and exclusively gay men., AIDS education and prevention : official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education, vol. 7 no. 6 (December, 1995), pp. 504-12 [doi]  [abs].
  43. JA Kelly, KJ Sikkema, RA Winett, LJ Solomon, RA Roffman, TG Heckman, LY Stevenson, MJ Perry, AD Norman, LJ Desiderato, Factors predicting continued high-risk behavior among gay men in small cities: psychological, behavioral, and demographic characteristics related to unsafe sex., Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, vol. 63 no. 1 (February, 1995), pp. 101-7 [doi]  [abs].
  44. KJ Sikkema, SC Kalichman, JA Kelly, JJ Koob, Group intervention to improve coping with AIDS-related bereavement: model development and an illustrative clinical example., AIDS care, vol. 7 no. 4 (1995), pp. 463-75 [doi]  [abs].
  45. RA Roffman, SC Kalichman, JA Kelly, RA Winett, LJ Solomon, KJ Sikkema, AD Norman, LL Desiderato, MJ Perry, AL Lemke, HIV antibody testing of gay men in smaller US cities., AIDS care, vol. 7 no. 4 (1995), pp. 405-13 [doi]  [abs].
  46. JA Kelly, DA Murphy, KJ Sikkema, AM Somlai, GW Mulry, MI Fernandez, JG Miller, LY Stevenson, Predictors of high and low levels of HIV risk behavior among adults with chronic mental illness., Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), vol. 46 no. 8 (August, 1995), pp. 813-8 [doi]  [abs].
  47. SC Kalichman, KJ Sikkema, JA Kelly, M Bulto, Use of a brief behavioral skills intervention to prevent HIV infection among chronic mentally ill adults., Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), vol. 46 no. 3 (March, 1995), pp. 275-80 [doi]  [abs].
  48. MJ Perry, LJ Solomon, RA Winett, JA Kelly, RA Roffman, LL Desiderato, SC Kalichman, KJ Sikkema, AD Norman, B Short, High risk sexual behavior and alcohol consumption among bar-going gay men., AIDS (London, England), vol. 8 no. 9 (September, 1994), pp. 1321-4 [doi]  [abs].
  49. JA Kelly, DA Murphy, KJ Sikkema, SC Kalichman, Psychological interventions to prevent HIV infection are urgently needed. New priorities for behavioral research in the second decade of AIDS., The American psychologist, vol. 48 no. 10 (October, 1993), pp. 1023-34 [doi]  [abs].
  50. RA Winett, ES Anderson, JF Moore, KJ Sikkema, RJ Hook, DA Webster, CD Taylor, JE Dalton, TH Ollendick, RM Eisler, Family/media approach to HIV prevention: results with a home-based, parent-teen video program., Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, vol. 11 no. 3 (1992), pp. 203-6 [doi]  [abs].
  51. KJ Sikkema, TG Heckman, JA Kelly, HIV risk behaviors among inner-city African American women. The Community Housing AIDS Prevention Study Group., Women's health (Hillsdale, N.J.), vol. 3 no. 3-4 (1997), pp. 349-66 [doi]  [abs].
  52. KJ Sikkema, JJ Koob, VC Cargill, JA Kelly, LL Desiderato, RA Roffman, AD Norman, M Shabazz, C Copeland, RA Winett, Levels and predictors of HIV risk behavior among women in low-income public housing developments., Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), vol. 110 no. 6 (1995), pp. 707-13 [doi]  [abs].
  53. N Tarakeshwar, AK Krishnan, S Johnson, S Solomon, K Sikkema, M Merson, Living with HIV infection: perceptions of patients with access to care at a non-governmental organization in Chennai, India., Culture, health & sexuality, England, vol. 8 no. 5 (2006), pp. 407-21  [abs].
  54. DA Wagstaff, JA Kelly, MJ Perry, KJ Sikkema, LJ Solomon, TG Heckman, ES Anderson, Multiple partners, risky partners and HIV risk among low-income urban women., Family planning perspectives, vol. 27 no. 6 (1995), pp. 241-5 [doi]  [abs].
  55. KJ Sikkema, NB Hansen, A Kochman, DC Tate, W Difranceisco, Outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of a group intervention for HIV positive men and women coping with AIDS-related loss and bereavement., Death studies, vol. 28 no. 3 (2004), pp. 187-209 [doi]  [abs].
  56. TG Heckman, KJ Sikkema, JA Kelly, RW Fuqua, MB Mercer, RG Hoffmann, RA Winett, ES Anderson, MJ Perry, RA Roffman, LJ Solomon, DA Wagstaff, V Cargill, AD Norman, D Crumble, Predictors of condom use and human immunodeficiency virus test seeking among women living in inner-city public housing developments., Sexually transmitted diseases, vol. 23 no. 5 (1996), pp. 357-65 [doi]  [abs].
  57. TG Heckman, JA Kelly, RA Roffman, KJ Sikkema, MJ Perry, LJ Solomon, RA Winett, AD Norman, RG Hoffmann, LY Stevenson, Psychosocial differences between recently HIV tested and non-tested gay men who reside in smaller US cities., International journal of STD & AIDS, vol. 6 no. 6 (1995), pp. 436-40 [doi]  [abs].
  58. TG Heckman, AM Somlai, KJ Sikkema, JA Kelly, SL Franzoi, Psychosocial predictors of life satisfaction among persons living with HIV infection and AIDS., The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANAC, vol. 8 no. 5 (1997), pp. 21-30 [doi]  [abs].
  59. DC Tate, JJ Van Den Berg, NB Hansen, A Kochman, KJ Sikkema, Race, social support, and coping strategies among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men., Culture, health & sexuality, vol. 8 no. 3 (2006), pp. 235-49 [doi]  [abs].