Psychosocial correlates of AIDS-risk drug use and sexual behaviors.

Theoretical and empirical research suggests psychosocial functioning is important in drug abuse intervention strategies, especially those focusing on efforts to change AIDS risk behaviors. Self-esteem, depression, anxiety, proneness to risk taking, decision-making confidence, self-assessment of drug use problems, and desire for help with drug problems, along with personal background and health history indicators, were assessed for 194 injection drug users in an AIDS prevention outreach program in New Orleans. Composite index scores for needle risk behaviors were associated with low self-esteem and low decision-making confidence as well as with higher scores on depression, anxiety, drug use problems, and desire for help. However, these psychosocial measures were not significantly related to the composite index for sex risks. Health history measures, represented by previous exposures to hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, were significantly related to both needle and sex risk indices. Implications for AIDS intervention efforts are discussed.