To assess HIV risk behavior, beliefs, attitudes and intentions among HIV-seropositive drug users (DUs), we studied 122 HIV-positive DUs (including ninety-five current injectors) participating in a longitudinal HIV-study among DUs in Amsterdam. All were familiar with their serostatus. Over a period of four months, 20% of the sample put others at risk of HIV infection, mainly through unsafe sex. Forty-nine percent think they might infect someone with HIV in the future, again mainly through unsafe sex. Although the majority intends to use condoms, self-efficacy and response efficacy is low; that is, many do not think they are able to use condoms when necessary and many have limited confidence in the efficacy of condoms in preventing HIV transmission. Correlates of HIV risk behavior were non-Dutch nationality and being a female prostitute. The results suggest that, next to efforts which aim to prevent new infections among HIV-negative injectors or sexual partners of injectors, prevention efforts should focus on HIV-seropositive DUs or former DUs.
Social Norms, Social Networks, and HIV Risk Behavior Among Injection Drug Users