ОПЫТ УПОТРЕБЛЕНИЯ ПСИХОАКТИВНЫХ ВЕЩЕСТВ В ПРОШЛОМ И РИСКОВАННОЕ ПОВЕДЕНИЕ В НАСТОЯЩЕМ У ВИЧ-ИНФИЦИРОВАННЫХ ЖЕНЩИН

Abstract

Substance use, especially among HIV-infected women, can threaten their health and affect the likelihood of engaging in behaviors that may facilitate the transmission of HIV infection. However, few studies have examined the impact of substance use history on sexual risk behaviors and HAART adherence among HIV-infected women. HIV has become a chronic infectious dis ease that requires not only compliance with treatment for health conservation, but also the elemination of certain behaviors, such as risky sexual behaviors to prevent the spread of HIV infection. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of lifetime past substance use history on sexual risk behaviors, adherence to treatment, and alcohol use among HIV-infected women receiving HAART. Analysis of computerized survey and clinical parameters of 250 HIV-infected women receiving HAART identified women’s substance use history as associated with current risky behavior: opioid use indicates significant social troubles, women with psychostimulant use demonstrate greater sexual risks, and HIV-infected women with polysubstance drug use in the past are the most vulnerable group to all HIV transmission risks such as sexual behavior, HAART non-adherence, current risky injecting behavior. Screening for drug use history among women at outpatient visits will facilitate identifying women’s risk behaviors and provide an opportunity to refer women to services designed to provide individually-oriented medical and psychological intervention to reduce their risky behaviors. The reported study was partially supported by RFBR-NIH, research project № 12-06-91440.