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Review
. 2010 May;23(3):205-9.
doi: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e32833864eb.

The intersecting risks of substance use and HIV risk among substance-using South African men and women

Felicia A Browne  1 , Wendee M Wechsberg
Affiliations
Review

The intersecting risks of substance use and HIV risk among substance-using South African men and women

Felicia A Browne et al. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2010 May.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The aim of this article is to review the recent literature examining the intersection between alcohol and other drug use and HIV risk behaviors for South African men and women, and the implications for the development of interventions and future research.

Recent findings: The current literature indicates that substance use in sexual contexts (i.e. before or during sex) as well as outside of the sexual context is associated with HIV risk behaviors, such as having unprotected sex and multiple sex partners. Additionally, environments where substances are used, such as drinking establishments, may be associated with HIV risk behaviors. Moreover, sexual violence is also associated with substance use. Brief HIV prevention interventions to address substance use have demonstrated promising findings - such as consistent condom use, less impaired sex, and less unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse - when compared with other interventions.

Summary: Recent research findings support the previous literature concerning the link between substance use and HIV risk behaviors in South Africa and suggest the need for interventions focused on sexual risk behaviors in the context of substance use and the environments in which they are used.

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Conflict of interest statement

Both authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Shisana O, Rehle T, Simbayi LC, et al. South African national HIV prevalence, incidence, behaviour and communication survey 2008: a turning tide among teenagers? Cape Town, South Africa: 2009. This report presented the findings from a 2008 national survey on the HIV epidemic in various sub-populations in South Africa and compared findings from the two earlier surveys.
    1. UNAIDS, World Health Organization. Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic 2008. Geneva: UNAIDS; 2008.
    1. UNAIDS, World Health Organization. AIDS epidemic update: December 2009. Geneva: UNAIDS; 2009.
    1. Herman AA, Stein DJ, Seedat S, et al. The South African Stress and Health (SASH) study: 12-month and lifetime prevalence of common mental disorders. S Afr Med J. 2009 May;99(5 Pt 2):339–44. This paper presented the prevalence of common mental disorders from a population-based study in South Africa, and found a high lifetime prevalence of substance use. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rehm J, Rehn N, Room R, et al. The global distribution of average volume of alcohol consumption and patterns of drinking. Eur Addict Res. 2003 Oct;9(4):147–56. - PubMed

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