title: Regularly drinking alcohol before sex in the United States: effects of relationship status and alcohol use disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drinking alcohol before sex increases the likelihood of engaging in sexual risk behaviors and risk for HIV infection. Relationship status (single versus partnered) and alcohol use disorders (AUD) are associated with each other and sexual risk behaviors, yet have not been examined as predictors of drinking alcohol before sex, using national data. This study examined whether relationship status and AUD increased the likelihood of regularly drinking alcohol before sex in a nationally representative sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  The main and additive interaction effects of relationship status and AUD on regularly drinking alcohol before sex were analyzed among sexually active drinkers (N=17,491) from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Regularly drinking alcohol before sex was defined as drinking alcohol most or all of the time before sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for controls, relationship status (AOR=3.51; CI=2.59-4.75) and AUD (AOR=6.24; CI=5.16-7.53) increased the likelihood of regularly drinking alcohol before sex and interacted to differentially increase this risk, with the effect of being single on the likelihood of regularly drinking alcohol before sex increased among participants with AUD (p<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study reinforces the importance of relationship status and AUD to the risk for regularly drinking alcohol before sex. Public health efforts should target alcohol and HIV prevention messages to single adults, particularly those with AUD, highlighting their risk for regularly drinking alcohol before sex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive #123, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address: rgt2101@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Ronald G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive #123, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Mei-Chen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Bridget F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive #123, New York, NY 10032, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hasin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol use disorders; Drinking alcohol before sex; NESARC; Relationship status; Sexual risk behaviors