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Gender Differences in HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Clients of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs in the U.S.

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Abstract

This study examined differences in sexual risk behaviors by gender and over time among 1281 patients (777 males and 504 females) from 12 community-based substance use disorder treatment programs throughout the United States participating in CTN-0032, a randomized control trial conducted within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Zero-inflated negative binomial and negative binomial models were used in the statistical analysis. Results indicated significant reductions in most types of sexual risk behaviors among substance users regardless of the intervention arms. There were also significant gender differences in sexual risk behaviors. Men (compared with women) reported more condomless sex acts with their non-primary partners (IRR = 1.80, 95 % CI 1.21–2.69) and condomless anal sex acts (IRR = 1.74, 95 % CI 1.11–2.72), but fewer condomless sex partners (IRR = 0.87, 95 % CI 0.77–0.99), condomless vaginal sex acts (IRR = 0.83, 95 % CI 0.69–1.00), and condomless sex acts within 2 h of using drugs or alcohol (IRR = 0.70, 95 % CI 0.53–0.90). Gender-specific intervention approaches are called for in substance use disorder treatment.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study and analysis was provided by the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network under the following cooperative agreements, awards, and contracts: U10DA013720, U10DA13720-09S, U10DA020036, U10DA15815, U10DA13034, U10DA013038, U10DA013732, U10DA13036, U10DA13727, U10DA015833, HHSN271200522081C, and HHSN271200522071C. We acknowledge the site principal investigators: David Avila, Michael DeBernardi, Lillian Donnard, Antoine Douaihy, Louise Haynes, Ray Muszynski, Patricia E. Penn, Ned Snead, Kevin Stewart, Robert C. Werstlein, and Katharina Wiest. Site principal investigators’ contributions to the work reported in this article included directing all aspects of the proposed study at their site(s), having overall responsibility for achieving the specific aims of the study, maintaining the proposed study schedule and budget, supervising the project staff, and ensuring quality control over all aspects of this study. We also acknowledge the following site staff: Walitta Abdullah, Elizabeth Alonso, Anika Alvanzo, Anna Amberg, Holly Angel, Rebekka M. Arias, Natasha Arocho, Carolyn Baron-Myak, Sarah Battle, Melissa Beddingfield, Dan Blazer, Stacy Botex, Sarah Bowles, Audrey Brooks, Elizabeth Buttrey, Betty Caldwell, Lynn Calvin, Maria Campanella, Sarah Carney, Angela Casey-Willingham, Jack Chally, Roberta Chavez, Nicholas Cohen, Zoe Cummings, Elisa Cupelli, Dennis Daley, Meredith Davis, Kay Debski, Andrea Dedier, Ashley Dibble, Bruce Dillard, Debbie Drosdick, Monica Eiden, Matthew Elmore, Sarah Essex, Laura Feldberg, Elizabeth Ferris, John Gary, Daniel Gerwien, Marisa Gholson, Melissa Gordon, Lauren Griebel, Laurel Hall, Stephanie Hart, Joshua Hefferen, Beverly Holmes, Christine Horne, Alice Huang, Aleks Jankowska, Beth Jeffries, Kristen Jehl, Eve Jelstrom, Andrew Johnson, Jacob Johnson, Shanna Johnson, Emily Kinsling-Law, Amy Knapp, Eric Kohler, Beatrice Koon, Emily Kraus, Lynn Kunkel, Robert Kushner, Diane Lape, Theresa Latham, Larry Lee, Carol Luna-Anderson, Sue McDavit, Michael McKinney, Cindy Merly, Melody Mickens, Jenni Mulholland, Roger Owen, Barbara Paschke, Wayne Pennachi, Sharon Pickrel, Kimberly Pressley, John Reynolds, Gillian Rossman, Lauretta Safford, Christine Sanchez, Lynn Sanchez, Dorothy Sandstrom, Carmel Scharenbroich, Robert Schwartz, Nicolangelo Scibelli, Michael Shopshire, Jessica Sides, Eugene Somoza, Maxine Stitzer, Joseph Sullivan, Krishna Suwal, Danielle Terrell, Lauren Thomas, Rena Treacher, Dominic Usher, Angel Valencia, Tammy Van Linter, Rosa Verdeja, Joanne Weidemann, Brandi Welles, Lindsay Worth, and Pamela Yus. Site staff contributions to the work reported in this article included conducting recruitment and enrollment activities, performing assessment interviews, conducting study interventions, performing quality assurance monitoring activities, performing data entry, and completing other day-to-day study activities that led to the collection of the study data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Clinical Research Building, Room 1066, 1120 N.W. 14th St., Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Yue Pan, Rui Duan & Daniel J. Feaster

  2. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Lisa R. Metsch & Lauren K. Gooden

  3. Department of Biostatistics, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Weize Wang

  4. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA

    Ke-Sheng Wang

  5. Aspire Health Partners, Orlando, FL, USA

    Tiffany L. Kyle

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  1. Yue Pan
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Correspondence to Yue Pan.

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Pan, Y., Metsch, L.R., Wang, W. et al. Gender Differences in HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Clients of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs in the U.S.. Arch Sex Behav 46, 1151–1158 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0686-y

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