SEX PARTNERS OF NATIVE-AMERICAN DRUG-USERS

This study describes patterns of sexual behavior and condom use in a s ample of Native American drug-using men and women (N = 114). Data are self-reports of sexual behavior in the last 30 days, including descrip tions of the most recent sex partners up to five. These data provided information on 157 sex partner pairs, of which at least one partner wa s a drug user, Native American women (55%) were more likely than Nativ e American men (23%) to report never using condoms for vaginal and ana l sex in the last 30 days. Compared with other ethnic pair combination s, sex partner pairs composed of Native American women and white men ( n = 18) were the least likely to use condoms (6% of pairs) and the mos t likely to report an injection drug user (IDU) sex partner (33% of pa irs). These results suggest a potential vector of HIV and other sexual ly transmitted disease (STD) transmission between white male IDUs and Native American women and highlight the need for further qualitative a nd quantitative research to examine the factors underlying this patter n of sexual risk behavior.