Prevalence of Heavy Drinking and Risky Sexual Behaviors in Adult Emergency Department Patients

Overview

Journal Alcohol Clin Exp Res

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2015 Sep 3

PMID 26332359

Citations 8

Authors

Nadine R Mastroleo

Don Operario

Nancy P Barnett

Suzanne M Colby

Christopher W Kahler

Peter M Monti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The study aim was to assess the prevalence and co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual risk behaviors among emergency department (ED) patients in community hospitals.

Methods: Systematic screening of ED patients (N = 6,486; 56.5% female) was conducted in 2 community hospitals in the northeast during times with high patient volume, generally between the hours of 10 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Saturday. Screening occurred from May 2011 through November 2013. Assessment included validated measures of alcohol use and sexual risk behavior.

Results: Overall results identified high rates of alcohol use, sexual risk behaviors, and their co-occurrence in this sample of ED patients. Specifically, ED patients in between the ages of 18 and 35 were consistently highest in hazardous alcohol use (positive on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test or endorsing heavy episodic drinking [HED]), sexual risk behaviors, and the co-occurrence of alcohol and sex-risk behaviors.

Conclusions: Findings show a high co-occurrence of hazardous drinking and unprotected sex among ED patients and highlight the role of HED as a factor associated with sexual risk behavior. Efforts to integrate universal screening for the co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual risk behavior in ED settings are warranted; brief interventions delivered to ED patients addressing the co-occurrence of alcohol and sexual risk behaviors have the potential to decrease the risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among a large number of patients.

Citing Articles

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Motivational Intervention Combined with Text Messaging for Alcohol and Sex Risk Reduction with Emergency Department Patients: A Pilot Trial.

Mastroleo N, Celio M, Barnett N, Colby S, Kahler C, Operario D Addict Res Theory. 2019; 27(2):85-94.

PMID: 31073283 PMC: 6502468. DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2018.1444159.

Mechanisms of behavior change in a brief dual-target motivational intervention: Reduction in alcohol use mediates intervention effects on risky sex.

Celio M, Mastroleo N, Barnett N, Colby S, Kahler C, Operario D Psychol Addict Behav. 2019; 33(4):349-359.

PMID: 30958012 PMC: 6554068. DOI: 10.1037/adb0000461.

Alcohol misuse among women in Brazil: recent trends and associations with unprotected sex, early pregnancy, and abortion.

Massaro L, Abdalla R, Laranjeira R, Caetano R, Pinsky I, Madruga C Braz J Psychiatry. 2018; 41(2):131-137.

PMID: 30365669 PMC: 6781687. DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2017-0024.

Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care populations.

Kaner E, Beyer F, Muirhead C, Campbell F, Pienaar E, Bertholet N Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018; 2:CD004148.

PMID: 29476653 PMC: 6491186. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004148.pub4.

Using Video Conferencing to Deliver a Brief Motivational Intervention for Alcohol and Sex Risk to Emergency Department Patients: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study.

Celio M, Mastroleo N, DiGuiseppi G, Barnett N, Colby S, Kahler C Addict Res Theory. 2017; 25(4):318-325.

PMID: 28649188 PMC: 5478195. DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2016.1276902.

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