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Alcohol Use Predicts Number of Sexual Partners for Female but not Male STI Clinic Patients

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Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that greater alcohol involvement will predict number of sexual partners to a greater extent for women than for men, and that the hypothesized sex-specific, alcohol—sexual partner associations will hold when controlling for alternative sex-linked explanations (i.e., depression and drug use). We recruited 508 patients (46 % female, 67 % African American) from a public sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic. Participants reported number of sexual partners, drinks per week, maximum drinks per day, frequency of heavy drinking; they also completed the AUDIT-C and a measure of alcohol problems. As expected, men reported more drinking and sexual partners. Also as expected, the association between alcohol use and number of partners was significant for women but not for men, and these associations were not explained by drug use or depression. A comprehensive prevention strategy for women attending STI clinics might include alcohol use reduction.

Resumen

Este estudio probó la hipótesis de que una mayor participación en el uso de alcohol predecirá el número de parejas sexuales por mayor parte entre las mujeres que en los hombres. También que las asociaciones hipotéticas especificas al sexo y el uso de alcohol-parejas sexuales seguirán presente después de controlar por explicaciones alternativas relacionadas al sexo (es decir la depresión y consume de drogas). Reclutamos 508 pacientes (46 % mujeres, 67 % afroamericano) de una clínica de ETS pública. Los participantes reportaron el número de parejas sexuales, número bebidas por semana, máximo número de bebidas al día, frecuencia de consumo excesivo de alcohol; y también completaron el AUDIT-C y una medida de los problemas de uso de alcohol. Como era de esperar, los hombres reportaron más consumo de alcohol y más parejas sexuales. También como se esperaba, la asociación entre el uso de alcohol y número de parejas sexuales era significativa entre las mujeres, pero no entre los hombres y estas asociaciones no fueron explicadas por el uso de drogas o la depresión. Una estrategia de prevención exhaustiva para las mujeres que asisten a clínicas especializadas en ETS podría incluir la reducción del consumo de alcohol.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH068171) to Michael P. Carey. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00947271. We gratefully acknowledge the study participants, the clinical and research staffs, and David Martinez for translating the Abstract into Spanish.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Kate B. Carey, Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon & Michael P. Carey

  2. Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, School of Public Health, Brown University, Box G-S121-5, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Kate B. Carey

  3. School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Theresa E. Senn

  4. Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Jennifer L. Walsh, Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon & Michael P. Carey

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Jennifer L. Walsh, Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon & Michael P. Carey

Authors
  1. Kate B. Carey
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  2. Theresa E. Senn
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  3. Jennifer L. Walsh
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  5. Michael P. Carey
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Correspondence to Kate B. Carey.

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Carey, K.B., Senn, T.E., Walsh, J.L. et al. Alcohol Use Predicts Number of Sexual Partners for Female but not Male STI Clinic Patients. AIDS Behav 20 (Suppl 1), 52–59 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1177-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1177-9

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