Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS

Research Findings from September, 1998 Director's Report

This section lists selected summaries from NIDA funded research projects that investigate youth drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. The summaries provided were selected from recent issues of the Director's Report to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse. For a more comprehensive listing of NIDA funded projects see the Director's Report.

Amphetamine, Substance Use and Its Relationship to Depression, Anxiety, and Isolation Among Youth Living With HIV

In a series of three papers, drug use and correlates were examined in youth living with HIV (YLH). Amphetamine use, other HIV-related risk acts, T-cell counts, emotional distress, coping style, and symptoms of HIV were examined in 337 HIV+ youth aged 13 to 24 (20% female; 22% African American, 27% Anglo, 35% Latino) from four cities (LA, NY, San Francisco, and Miami). One third of youth were found to have engaged in amphetamine use in their lifetime, and 21% of youths reported current use (i.e. in the last three months). Compared to non-users, users initiated other drug use at younger ages, used more types of drugs, reported more emotional distress, and employed escape coping significantly more often. Substance use pervaded the lives of these YLH. Among this sample, males had used more drugs, more often, and for longer periods than females. However, there had been major reductions in use. Being male, having high emotional distress, and having fewer negative social supports were significantly associated with greater reductions in substance use. The longer an individual had been diagnosed seropositive tended to be associated with reductions in use (p=.06). Compared to non-users, users also had more sexual partners and more sexual encounters. While users and non-users do not differ on physical symptoms or whether they have been diagnosed with AIDS, users of amphetamines report significantly higher T-cell counts than non-users. Despite poor psychosocial functioning, amphetamine users were found to have higher T-cell counts than other YLH. The continued high-risk profile of transmission acts among users suggests that preventive interventions must target specific drugs used by YLH. As the number of youths infected with HIV rises, secondary prevention programs are needed to help youths living with HIV meet three goals: 1) increase self-care behaviors, medical adherence, and health-related interactions; 2) reduce transmission acts; and 3) enhance their quality of life. Based on modifications of the social action model, a small group intervention was developed and tested in this population. Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Mann, T., and Chabon, B. Amphetamine Use Among Youths Living with HIV. AIDS Education and Prevention, In Press; Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Murphy, D.A., Swendeman, D., Chao, B., Chabon, B., Zhou, S., and Birnbaum, J. Substance Use and its Relationship to Depression, Anxiety, and Isolation Among Youth Living with HIV. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, In Press; Rotheram-Borus, M.J., and Miller, S. Secondary Prevention for Youths Living with HIV. AIDS Care, 10(1), pp. 17-34. 1998.