NCJ Number
154261
Journal
British Journal of Addiction Volume: 87 Dated: (1992) Pages: 1555-1560
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Thirty-eight of 42 known HIV-positive inmates in Ireland's prison system voluntarily cooperated in a survey of psychological attitudes, knowledge of risk behavior, intentions with respect to future risk behavior, and actual past risk behavior.
Abstract
Participation was voluntary. Results revealed that the inmates' ages ranged from 21 to 40 years; the average was 27.9 years. Sixty-five percent reported that they had put others at risk of HIV since becoming aware of their own HIV-positive status. Only 16 percent stated that they definitely would not share their drug-taking equipment in the future; only 32 percent stated that they would always use a condom in sexual intercourse. In general, psychological and biographical variables and knowledge of risk behavior were not strongly related to whether or not the participants had put others at risk of HIV. However, findings produced some indication of considerable independence between risk-taking behavior in the sexual and drug-taking areas, in that risk-taking in one area was not highly predictive of risk-taking in the other. Findings indicated the potential for this group to spread HIV into the heterosexual population and suggest that individuals who take one kind of precautions may need to be persuaded of the need to take precautions in the other area. Table and 21 references