Sm. Katz et al., THE IMPACT ON BEHAVIOR OF NOTIFYING METHADONE PATIENTS OF THEIR HIV SEROSTATUS, The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 21(1), 1995, pp. 37-45
Questions have arisen about the implications of notifying drug abusers
of their HIV serostatus. One major concern is that awareness of HIV i
nfection would have a negative impact on abstinence from drug abuse. I
n order to ascertain the effects of serostatus notification, the autho
rs reviewed the clinical records of 73 methadone patients who learned
of their serostatus within 20 weeks after enrolling in the clinic and
thereafter remained in treatment for at least 1 year. They found that,
at serostatus notification. seropositive patients were more likely to
be socially disadvantaged and were younger than the seronegatives at
first opiate use. After serostatus notification, seropositives had mor
e ''fair hearings'' for noncompliance with program norms and used more
cocaine. Although the patients notified of HIV infection may have mor
e behavioral problems, further research is needed to determine whether
or not this reflects antecedent behavior patterns and drug use.