Cognitive, behavioral, and personality correlates of HIV-positive persons'unsafe sexual behavior

This study examined sexually risky behaviors of HIV-positive men and women within the Framework of social cognitive theory. Condom use was found to be associated with high self-efficacy, positive influeces from social models, and specific condom use expectancies. As risky sexual behavior may be the manifestation of a more general pattern of risk taking that emerges from pe rsonality dispositions such as impulsiveness or psychoticism, this possibil ity was explored with discriminant analyses. Self-reported impulsivity, sub stance abuse, promiscuity, and deception served as markers of the presumed disposition. While these variables did not reliably distinguish between con sistent and inconsistent condom users, they did enhance significantly the c lassification of individuals who, during the past 6 months, had been sexual ly abstinent, monogamous, or nonmonogamous. Those who reported more sex par tners scored higher on impulsivity, disclosed more involvement with illegal drugs, and showed greater willingness to mislead potential partners about their sexual history than monogamous or sexually abstinent persons with HIV .