title: Attitudes toward needle-sharing and HIV transmission risk behavior among HIV+ injection drug users in clinical care.
abstract: Risky behavior related to injection drug use accounts for a considerable proportion of incident HIV infection in the United States. Large numbers of injection drug users (IDUs) currently receive antiretroviral therapy in clinical settings and are accessible for risk-reduction interventions to reduce transmission of drug-resistant HIV and spread of HIV to uninfected others. The current study examined attitudes toward needle- or equipment-sharing among 123 HIV-positive IDUs in clinical care in an effort to understand the dynamics of such behavior and to create a basis for clinic-based risk-reduction interventions. Results indicate that at baseline, participants who reported extremely negative attitudes toward needle-sharing were less likely to have shared during the past month than those with less-extreme negative attitudes. Demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal variables were entered into a logistic regression model to examine needle-sharing group membership among HIV-positive IDUs. Being female and having less-extreme negative attitudes toward sharing were independent and significant correlates of sharing behavior. Interventions targeting needle-sharing attitudes deployed within the clinical care setting may be well-positioned to reduce HIV transmission among HIV-positive IDUs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Wynne E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: K Rivet
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Amico
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Copenhaver
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kozal
authors.forename: Deborah H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cornman
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Friedland
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology* / Q000635:transmission*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016485:Needle Sharing / Q000523:psychology*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000523:psychology*