The Relationships Among STD/HIV-associated Behaviors, Correlates of Risk and Alcohol Consumption for At-risk African American Females

Background:
While young African American women remain a high risk group for sexually transmitted diseases, little research has examined alcohol consumption and sexual behavior for this population.

Objective:
To examine the relationship between alcohol use and four psychosocial correlates of risky sexual behaviors: fear of condom negotiation, sexual sensation seeking, peer norms, and depressive symptoms. Second, to assess how alcohol affects STD-related behavior derived from self-report and use of a nondisease biological marker for Y chromosome (Yc), and the presence of STDs, among a high-risk African American female population ages 16-20.

Method:
Sexually active females (N = 407; mean age 18.5 years) were recruited from, and participated at, a large urban public health department. Alcohol use, psychosocial correlates of risky sex and risky sexual behavior measures were collected via an audio-computer assisted self-interview (A-CASI). Self-collected vaginal swab specimens were collected to assess the prevalence of three STDs and a novel, nondisease marker of unprotected sex (Yc PCR).

Result:
Alcohol use was significantly related to three of four psychosocial correlates and to five self-report measures of risky sexual behaviors. In addition, females consuming more drinks on a drinking occasion were significantly more likely to have Chlamydia and positive test for presence of semen (Yc) in vaginal fluid. When controlling for alcohol consumption, sexual sensation seeking remained a significant predictor of several sexual risk behaviors.

Conclusion:
Results suggest greater frequency and volume of alcohol consumption is related to adverse psychosocial correlates, self-report measures, and biological markers of risky sexual behaviors. Amount of drinking per drinking occasion appears to be the most important predictor of the two biological markers indicating that binge drinking may be an issue for this population.

Implications:
Interventions must identity the drinking-risky sex link as a legitimate and prominent threat for African American low-income women.