HIV and STD risk behavior among 18- to 25-year-old men released from U.S. prisons: provider perspectives.
Ninety-seven service providers, representing 83 agencies, were interviewed about sexual and drug use HIV/STD risk behaviors and their determinants among young men who have been released from prison. Providers believed that men frequently practiced sexual risk behavior, often in conjunction with substance use. Individual determinants of risk behavior primarily focused on "making up for lost time," being a man, degree of HIV/STD knowledge and vulnerability, desire to escape, and future orientation. Peers, partners, and family were portrayed as strong interpersonal influences on risk behavior, both positively and negatively. The dominant contextual determinant of risk behavior was the co-occurrence of sex and drug use. Structural determinants of reduced risk included stable housing, economic sufficiency, and positive community support for safer behavior (e.g., drug treatment access, needle exchange). The findings highlight the need for comprehensive, transitional case management for young men as they reintegrate into the community, including HIV/STD prevention.
Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, USA. dseal@mcw.edu
David Wyatt
DW
Seal
Andrew D
AD
Margolis
Jim
J
Sosman
Deborah
D
Kacanek
Diane
D
Binson
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D005195:Family Relations; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011329:Prisoners; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders