THE ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE OF SAFER SEXUAL BEHAVIORS AMONG INJECTION-DRUG USERS

The current research tests stage-sequential models of safer sexual beh avior using a new method for data analysis called Latent Transition An alysis (LTA). Results are presented from data collected on 359 injecti on drug users participating in a seroconversion study conducted by the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center. We identified a six-stage model that adequately represented the data. Results indicate that respondents mo ved back and forth among high, medium, and low risk stages. This-findi ng highlights the need for continual, sustained interventions to help maintain safer sex and drug-using behaviors in highrisk groups.