Abstract
Female injection drug users (IDU) who report sex with women are at increased risk for HIV and social instability, but it is important to assess whether these disparities also exist according to sexual minority identity rather than behaviorally defined categories. Within a sample of current IDU in Baltimore, about 17 % of female study participants (n = 307) identified as gay/lesbian/bisexual. In controlled models, sexual minorities were three times as likely to report sex exchange behavior and four times as likely to report a recent STI. Injection risk did not differ significantly, but sexual minority women reported higher prevalence of socio-economic instability, negative health indicators, and fewer network financial, material, and health support resources. There is a need to identify and address socio-economic marginalization, social support, and health issues among female IDUs who identify as lesbian or bisexual.
Resumen
Las mujeres que son usuarias de drogas inyectables (UDI) y que tienen relaciones sexuales con otras mujeres presentan un mayor riesgo de VIH e inestabilidad social, pero es importante evaluar si estas disparidades también existen según identidad de minorías sexuales, en lugar de en las categorías definidas conductualmente. En una muestra de UDI actuales en Baltimore, en torno al 17 % de las mujeres participantes (n = 307) en el estudio se identificaron como gay/lesbiana/bisexual. En modelos multivariados, las minorías sexuales reportaron tres veces más intercambio sexual y cuatro veces más ITS recientes. El riesgo de inyectarse drogas no difería significativamente, pero la minoría sexual de mujeres reportó una mayor prevalencia de inestabilidad socio-económica e indicadores negativos de salud y, una menor red financiera, material y de recursos de apoyo para la salud. Hay una necesidad de identificar y abordar la marginalización socio-económica, el apoyo social y, los problemas de salud entre mujeres UDI que se identifican como lesbiana o bisexual.
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Acknowledgments
Support was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant no. 1RO1 DA016555) and the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research (1P30AI094189). The authors wish to thank the Lighthouse data team for their insight throughout this analysis, the data collection team for their dedicated efforts, the study participants for their invaluable contributions, and Marc Marti and Allysha Robinson for translation assistance.
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German, D., Latkin, C.A. HIV Risk, Health, and Social Characteristics of Sexual Minority Female Injection Drug Users in Baltimore. AIDS Behav 19, 1361–1365 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0972-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0972-z