Gender, HIV knowledge and risk-taking behaviour among substance using adolescents in custody in New South Wales

Abstract

Adolescents involved in criminal activity have been found to have markedly higher rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk-taking than their peers who are not incarcerated. As a result of the comparatively small number of girls in custody, no studies have examined the question of gender differences in HIV risk-taking behaviour through injection among this group. This purposive sample of 166 young people in six juvenile justice centres in New South Wales found very high levels of alcohol and cannabis use in the month prior to detention. The girls were found to be engaging in significantly more HIV risk-taking behaviours than were the boys. Girls were three times more likely to have injected a drug in the month prior to detention and around four times more likely to have shared injecting equipment than were boys. In addition, 80% of the sample were sexually active in the month prior to incarceration and had low levels of awareness of hepatitis B and C. These findings indicate an urgent need to implement effective, gender-sensitive, skills based interventions to reduce HIV and other blood-borne disease risk-taking behaviours among this high-risk group of adolescents.