title: Changes in women's sexual risk behaviors after therapeutic community treatment.
abstract: This study examines sexual risk behaviors among 197 women mandated to substance abuse treatment in therapeutic communities. The women's risk behaviors after treatment are compared with their behaviors prior to treatment, and risk behaviors among those who completed treatment are compared with those who did not. The women had a high prevalence of sexual risk behaviors (i.e., multiple partners, unprotected sex, sex trade, not asking partners to use condoms, sex with injection drug users [IDUs]) and relationship violence and conflict before treatment and a significant decrease in unprotected sex, sex trade, sex with multiple partners, and relationship violence or conflict after treatment. Those who completed treatment were significantly less likely to participate in sex trade or have sex with IDUs and were more likely to have a new sexual partner and only one sexual partner after treatment as compared with those who did not complete treatment. The present study shows that therapeutic community treatment is associated with the reduction of sexual risk behaviors among female substance abusers mandated to treatment.
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467, USA. nicooperm@montefiore.org
authors.forename: Nina A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Cooperman
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Falkin
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cleland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*