title: Spiritual beliefs, world assumptions, and HIV risk behavior among heroin and cocaine users.
abstract: The relationship between spirituality and HIV risk behavior in a sample of 34 inner-city cocaine-using methadone-maintained patients was examined. Spirituality was operationally defined in terms of "life meaningfulness" and included the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith (T. G. Plante & M. T. Boccaccini, 1997b) and the World Assumptions Scale (R. Janoff-Bulman, 1989; assessing benevolence, meaningfulness, and worthiness of the self). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses of self-reported drug- and sex-related risk behavior were conducted with sex and race entered as control variables. The full models accounted for 23% and 42% of the variance in drug- and sex-related risk behavior, respectively. Strength of spiritual/religious faith (B = .37) and belief in a benevolent (beta = .50) and meaningful (beta = .46) world were independent predictors of sex-related, but not drug-related, HIV preventive behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06591, USA.
authors.forename: S Kelly
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Avants
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marcotte
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Margolin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014825:Vocabulary
chemical_list: D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D008691:Methadone