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Correlates of Anal Intercourse Vary by Partner Type Among Substance-Using Women: Baseline Data from the UNITY Study

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Abstract

Data are limited about anal intercourse among women at risk of HIV infection. HIV-negative non-injection drug using women at sexual risk (N = 404) were recruited. At baseline, 41.7% reported anal intercourse in the prior 3 months; of these, 88.2% reported unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). Factors associated with UAI varied by partner type: UAI with a steady partner was associated with younger age, depressive symptoms, and experience of battering; UAI with casual partners was associated with younger age, cocaine use and negative outcome expectancies for condom use; UAI with exchange partners was associated with cocaine use, negative outcome expectancies for condom use and depressive symptoms. Younger women were more likely to report unprotected anal intercourse if they did not use birth control. Specific counseling messages are needed to identify and address this risk and associated factors, including partner relationships, substance use, birth control, mental health issues and domestic violence.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Nikki Englert, Sean Lawrence, and Evelyn Rivera for their work and devotion in conducting this study, the Project ACHIEVE Community Advisory Board for their advice and contributions, and the study participants who gave their time and effort. This work was supported by a grant to the New York Blood Center from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH (R01 DA017482).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention, New York Blood Center, 310 E.67th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Beryl A. Koblin, Guozhen Xu & Debbie Lucy

  2. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Donald R. Hoover

  3. The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Victoria Frye & Sebastian Bonner

  4. Aurum Institute for Health Research, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Mary H. Latka

Authors
  1. Beryl A. Koblin
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  2. Donald R. Hoover
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  3. Guozhen Xu
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  4. Victoria Frye
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  5. Mary H. Latka
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  6. Debbie Lucy
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  7. Sebastian Bonner
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Correspondence to Beryl A. Koblin.

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All authors contributed to the study conception, design and implementation.

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Koblin, B.A., Hoover, D.R., Xu, G. et al. Correlates of Anal Intercourse Vary by Partner Type Among Substance-Using Women: Baseline Data from the UNITY Study. AIDS Behav 14, 132–140 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-008-9440-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-008-9440-y

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