Substance Use Among Women at Risk for HIV Infection

• NCJ Number: 137934
• Journal: Journal of Drug Education Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: (1992) Pages: 131-146
• Author(s): K G Wambach; J B Byers; D F Harrison; P Levine; A W Immershein; D M Quadagno; K Maddox
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): U62/CCU403278
• Sponsoring Agency: Florida Dept of Health and Rehabilitative Services; Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Specific objectives of this 1989 study in south Florida were to describe patterns of substance use in women at risk for HIV infection, examine relationships between demographic characteristics and substance use, and explore links between HIV risk behaviors and substance use.

Abstract

A total of 694 women participated in the research, 74 of whom were pregnant at the time of interviews. Only data on the 620 nonpregnant women were analyzed. Data were gathered using structured interview questionnaires that contained sections on social and demographic characteristics, pregnancy history, contraceptive use and attitudes, current sexual behavior, medical history, HIV knowledge and gender role attitudes, history and current use of drugs, behavioral change and self-efficacy related to HIV, and health service preferences. Of the 620 women, 50.6 percent were black, 28.7 percent white, 13.4 percent Hispanic, 5 percent Haitian, and 2.1 percent other. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 53 years. It was found that substance use among the women far exceeded expectations. While the abstinence rate for alcohol (34.4 percent) roughly corresponded with previous national survey data, 58.9 percent of the sample acknowledged current use of multiple substances so that the overall abstinence rate was only 24 percent. The general expectation that women confine their use of psychoactive substances to legal drugs was not supported. Most women (82.9 percent) had at least tried an illegal drug, and nearly two-thirds (60.5) were currently involved in illegal drug use. Age was not significantly related to substance use or abuse. Further, exposure to and current use of intravenous drugs were most typical of white respondents. Nearly three-fourths of the women (73.5 percent) had tried cocaine in some form. Substance abuse was associated with prostitution, risk behaviors, and the likelihood of having multiple sexual partners. In general, substance use was associated with specific behaviors and lifestyles which placed the women at increased risk for HIV infection. The results demonstrate the importance of addressing the use of substances other than intravenous drugs in primary prevention efforts and research with high-risk women. 34 references and 5 tables