Publication Cover
Journal of Dual Diagnosis
research and practice in substance abuse comorbidity
Volume 12, 2016 - Issue 3-4
220
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
PSYCHOTHERAPY & PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUES

Cocaine Use and Sexual Risk Among Individuals With Severe Mental Illness

, PhD, , PhD & , MS
Pages 205-217 | Published online: 17 Nov 2016
 

ABSTRACT

Objective: Rates of HIV remain elevated in select populations such as those with severe mental illness and also among those who abuse cocaine, a vehicle through which risky sexual behavior may occur. The objective of the present narrative review was to synthesize the literature regarding stimulant use and its association with sexual risk among individuals with severe mental illness. Methods: This narrative review of the literature utilized Boolean search logic and the PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES databases to identify articles that explored the relationships among stimulant use, risky sexual behavior, and severe mental illness. Only one article was identified that examined a stimulant other than cocaine. Thus, the review was further limited to the impact that cocaine has on risky sexual behavior among those with severe mental illness. Results: Of the 87 abstracts obtained, 58 underwent a full text review and eight were included in the final review. Studies had a mean sample size of 110 and predominantly consisted of male (64%) outpatients. Study designs were largely cross-sectional and almost exclusively relied on retrospective participant report of sexual behavior and drug use. The extant literature indicates a positive association between cocaine and risky sexual behavior among those with a diagnosed severe mental illness. Risky behaviors associated with cocaine included reporting a greater number of partners as well as a higher degree of involvement in the sex trade. The positive association observed between cocaine and partner-related risk, however, did not extend to condom use. Conclusions: Further research that utilizes better defined and operationalized constructs to investigate relationships among stimulant use, severe mental illness, and sexual risk, particularly condom use, is warranted and is necessary to advance the field.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Lisham Ashrafioun, PhD, and Kathy Rasmussen, PhD, for reviewing elements of the manuscript.

Disclosures

The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose. The authors' views or opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

Funding

This work was supported, in part, by the VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Health Illness Research and Treatment, VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention at the Canandaigua VAMC.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 273.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.