Am. Fenaughty et Dg. Fisher, HIGH-RISK SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR AMONG DRUG-USERS - THE UTILITY OF A TYPOLOGY OF ALCOHOL VARIABLES, Sexually transmitted diseases, 25(1), 1998, pp. 38-43
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a typology of dru
g users based on alcohol use variables and then determine the utility
of this typology for predicting high-risk sexual behavior, controlling
for the personality traits of sensation seeking and risk proneness. M
ethods: A sample of 283 out-of-treatment drug users in Anchorage, Alas
ka, were interviewed regarding their alcohol and drug use, sexual beha
vior, sensation seeking, and risk proneness, The sample was 66% male;
44% white, 26% black, and 24% Native American; had a median age of 36
years; and a median monthly income of $500 to $999. Results: Cluster a
nalyses of alcohol variables showed the presence of two clusters, one
of which is characterized by relatively high alcohol consumption and e
arly age of first alcohol use, This alcohol typology was significantly
related to several sexual risk behaviors, including having sex with m
ultiple partners without consistent condom use (chi(2)(1) = 10.47, p <
.01), having sex with an injection drug user (IDU) without consistent
condom use (chi(2)(1) = 4.87, p < .05), number of sex partners (t(281
) = -2.16, p < .05), STD history (chi(2)(1) = 7.86, p < .01), and havi
ng traded sex for drugs or money recently (chi(2)(1) = 6.91, p < .01)
or in one's lifetime (chi(2)(1) = 9.20, p < .01), All but one of these
associations remained significant after controlling for sensation see
king and risk proneness. Conclusions: Among this sample of out-of-trea
tment drug users, a typology based on patterns of alcohol use was foun
d to be associated with several measures of high-risk sexual behavior,
Drug users who were classified as high risk on the basis of their lif
etime and current alcohol use patterns were found to be significantly
more likely than low-risk drug users to have engaged in risky sexual b
ehavior, Risk proneness does not appear to account for this pattern of
associations.