Mental health, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors among women living with HIV.
Caroline D Deaterly, Deepthi S Varma, Yancheng Li and 2 others
PMID 37132071WHAT IT FOUND
Reproductive-age women living with HIV in Florida reported risky sex more often than non-reproductive-age women.
Alcohol-related problems, binge drinking, and marijuana use were associated with risky sex; depression was not associated; severe anxiety was associated only in reproductive-age women.
Key findings
01Reproductive-age women reported at least one risky sexual behavior more often than non-reproductive-age women (63.2% vs 36.7%; p = 0.0005).
02In the total sample, alcohol-related problems score 11–15 was associated with higher odds of risky sexual behavior (OR 4.68, 95% CI 1.58–13.7, p = 0.0051).
03Among reproductive-age women, severe anxiety symptoms and alcohol-related problems score 11–15 were associated with higher odds of risky sexual behavior.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data are cross-sectional and self-reported, so they show association, not cause. Participants were largely recruited from healthcare settings, so they may be more engaged in care than all women living with HIV. The survey data were collected from 2014 to 2017, so current patterns may differ. Risky sexual behavior was defined from prior studies, not a standard validated measure. Only anxiety and depression symptoms were examined, and only alcohol and marijuana use were analyzed. The sample size was fixed by the existing dataset, and subgroup analyses were done separately.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest statement is provided in the supplied article text. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that alcohol, marijuana, or anxiety caused risky sex. The study used self-reported cross-sectional survey data, and the risky sex measure was not a standard validated outcome.