Needle-sharing: A longitudinal study of psychosocial risk and protective factors

The authors examined the psychosocial correlates of needle-sharing behavior at two points in time (T₁ and T₂) by use of a prospective longitudinal design. Subjects were 278 male intravenous drug users, 111 of whom were HlV-positive. All subjects were given structured questionnaires by trained, ethnically matched interviewers. Pearson correlation coefficients (rs) and hierarchical regression analyses were done to examine interrelationships among T₁ psychosocial domains, T₁ needle-sharing, and T₂ needle-sharing. T₁ psychosocial/personality factors predicting T₂ needle-sharing included unconventionality, poor emotional control, and poor intrapsychic functioning. The relationship of T₁ needle-sharing to T₂ needle-sharing was buffered by the T₁ psychosocial protective factors. The findings supported a mediational model, in which personality and peer factors predicted T₁ needle-sharing, which served as the mediator for T₂ needle- sharing.