This study examines the HIV-protective behaviors of condom use and non-sharing of needles, alternatives to these behaviors, and correlated variables among young, out-of-treatment injection drug users (IDUs), sex partners of IDUs, and members of their social networks. Three hundred thirty participants were recruited using two sampling techniques. First, 200 IDU youth and sex partners of IDUs, aged 15-23, were recruited from community-based service sites and street sites using stratified probability sampling. Second, using "snowball" sampling, participants were asked to refer their sexual and needle sharing partners, and two friends. Interviews lasting approximately one and a half hours were conducted in private settings. Measures included psychosocial variables, substance use, HIV risk behaviors, and social network constructs such as relationship types, shared behaviors, and perceptions of HIV risk. Preliminary results reveal considerable risk behavior among this largely (74%) homeless population. Most (79%) were sexually active in the prior month, but few always used condoms (32%). A substantial percentage (38%) reported ever having traded sex for money or drugs; one-third (32%) reported multiple sex partners in the prior month and ever having had a sexually transmitted disease. Most of the participants (88%) reported former or current IDU, with 69% of those injecting in the prior month. The majority of IDUs reported that they ever shared needles (63%); about a third of those (36%) did so in the prior month. Subsequent analyses will identify pertinent characteristics of interpersonal relationships and their associations with condom use, non-sharing of needles, and alternatives to these safer behaviors.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify alternatives to condom use and non-sharing of needles being practiced by young, out-of-treatment IDUs, sex partners of IDUs, and their social network members 2. Identify different types of interpersonal relationships among this population and the impact of relationship types on traditional HIV-protective and alternative behaviors
Keywords: Adolescents, HIV Risk Behavior
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.