Publication year: 2011
Source: Addictive Behaviors, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 24 June 2011
Erin E., Bonar , Harold, Rosenberg
We examined whether perceived susceptibility to and severity of two injection-related health conditions (i.e., non-fatal overdose and bacterial infections), and perceived benefits of, barriers to, self-efficacy to, social acceptance of, and recent use of two harm-reduction behaviors (i.e., injecting test shots and pre-injection skin cleaning), predicted injecting drug users’ near-term intentions to engage in these two strategies. Recent past use of these two behaviors consistently and positively predicted near-term intentions in each of four drug-use situations (i.e., in withdrawal, not in withdrawal, alone, with others). Perceived susceptibility to non-fatal overdose predicted intentions to do test shots, but only when participants…
Research highlights: ► Recent past use of test shots predicted near-term intentions to engage in test shots in each of four drug-use situations. ► Recent pre-injection skin cleaning predicted near-term intentions to engage in skin- cleaning in each of four drug-use situations. ► Perceived benefits of test shots predicted test shot intentions when participants imagined not being in withdrawal. ► Perceived susceptibility to non-fatal overdose predicted intentions when participants imagined not being in withdrawal or injecting alone. ► Participants’ ratings of how often other IDUs use test shots predicted their intentions to do test shots, but only when injecting with others or injecting alone.