title: Risk-taking behavior and impulsivity among HCV-infected patients.
abstract: The association between risk behaviors and hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been extensively studied. It is also proved that impulsivity is associated with risk behaviors. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the association between HCV and impulsivity, a characteristic that can contribute directly to these risk behaviors. This study aimed to investigate HCV-infected individuals' impulsivity and whether this feature mediates risk behavior. Adult patients with liver diseases (n=269) were divided into two groups: viral group (n=157) - patients with HCV and nonviral group (n=112). Risk behaviors were evaluated by a sociodemographic questionnaire. Impulsivity was assessed through Barratt Impulsiveness Scale - BIS-11. Psychiatric comorbidities were investigated by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0.0. The viral group patients had higher impulsivity than the nonviral group in all domains: attentional impulsivity, motor impulsivity, and nonplanning. Risk behaviors were also shown to be associated with impulsivity levels. Our results suggest that HCV-infected patients are more impulsive than individuals with other liver diseases, even when analyses are controlled for the presence of comorbid mental disorders. In addition, at-risk behavior was significantly mediated by impulsivity.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dantas-Duarte
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mychelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morais-de-Jesus
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miranda-Pettersen
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Araújo-de-Freitas
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liana R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Netto
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil; Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Teles
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Codes
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina e Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Electronic address: quarantini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lucas C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Quarantini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: BIS-11; HCV; Hepatitis C; Impulsivity