Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jun;22(6):1835-1848.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-017-1748-z.

Great Expectations: HIV Risk Behaviors and Misperceptions of Low HIV Risk among Incarcerated Men

C E Golin  1   2   3 , B G Barkley  4 , C Biddell  5 , D A Wohl  5 , D L Rosen  5
Affiliations

Great Expectations: HIV Risk Behaviors and Misperceptions of Low HIV Risk among Incarcerated Men

C E Golin et al. AIDS Behav. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Incarcerated populations have relatively high HIV prevalence but little has been reported about their aggregate HIV risk behaviors or perceptions of risk. A random selection of HIV-negative men (n = 855) entering a US state prison system were surveyed to assess five risk behaviors and his self-perceived HIV risk. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified factors associated with having elevated actual but low perceived risk (EALPR). Of the 826 men with complete data, 88% were at elevated risk. While 64% of the sample had risk perceptions concordant with their actual risk, 14% had EALPR (with the remainder at low actual but high perceived risk). EALPR rates were lower in those with a pre-incarceration HIV test but higher for those with a negative prison entry HIV test. HIV testing counseling should assess for discordance between actual and perceived risk and communicate the continued risk of HIV despite a negative result.

Keywords: HIV; Incarcerated populations; Risk behavior; Risk perceptions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diagram describing categorization of “Perceived Risk” from sub-outcomes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Spaulding A, Seals RM, Page MJ, Brzozowski AK, Rhodes W, Hammett TM. HIV/AIDS among inmates of and releasees from US correctional facilities 2006: declining share of epidemic but persistent public health opportunity. PLoS ONE. 2009;4:e7558. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Maruschak LM, Bezofsky M, Unangst J. Medical problems of state and federal prisoners and jail inmates, 2011–2012. Bur Justice Stat. 2015:1–23.
    1. Lambert EY, Normand JL, Volkow ND. Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS among drug-using populations: a global perspective. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010;55:S1–4. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rich JD, Wohl D, Beckwith CG, Spaulding AC, Lepp NE, Baillargeon J, Gardner A, Avery A, Altice FL, Springer S On behalf of the CFAR-CHIC Working Group. HIV-related research in correctional populations: now is the time. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2011;8:288–96. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beckwith CG, Zaller ND, Fu JJ, Montague BT, Rich JD. Opportunities to diagnose, treat, and prevent HIV in the criminal justice system. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2010;55:S49–55. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources