The purpose of this revised competing continuation grant application is to continue the study of """"""""Risk Factors for HIV Infection in Drug Users and Partners"""""""". The original study, also known as the SARA study (Substance Abuse and Risk for AIDS), was and still is the first and only study in St. Louis. to: (1) study the prevalence of HIV infection among substance users in an area with relatively low prevalence of reported AIDS cases but with high prevalence of risk-related drug use behaviors and (2) evaluate the co-occurrence of behavioral and psychiatric factors, high risk drug use and sexual activity to better target public education efforts aimed at reducing HIV risk behaviors. The inclusion of African Americans and females is especially noteworthy. This project is also timely, given the early stage of HIV infection in St. Louis and rates of high risk behaviors and Hepatitis B which are comparable to those in cities with high rates of HIV infection. For this competing continuation, we propose to: 1. Analyze Wave 1 and Wave 2 SARA data to evaluate the co-occurrence of the following among index and partner subjects: a) DSM-III and III-R substance abuse and dependence disorders; b) presence and severity of DSM-III-R past and current psychiatric symptoms; c) IV drug use and needle sharing; d) risk-taking personality traits; e) high risk sexual behaviors; f) social network characteristics; g) patterns of medical illness and health care utilization; h) knowledge of HIV transmission; i) sociodemographic factors and j) changes in these factors over time. 2. Immediately begin the originally-approved reinterview of index subjects and their sexual partners to determine the cumulative incidence rate of HIV infection and changes in risk behaviors. 3. Educate persons in the study on ways to change or reduce their high risk behaviors. 4. Offer HIV positive subjects from this study the opportunity to participate in the Washington University AIDS Clinical Trial.
| Cottler, Linda B; Campbell, Wilbur; Krishna, V A S et al. (2005) Predictors of high rates of suicidal ideation among drug users. J Nerv Ment Dis 193:431-7 |
