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Reasons for Limiting Drinking in an HIV Primary Care Sample
Author(s) -
Elliott Jennifer C.,
Aharonovich Efrat,
Hasin Deborah S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12401
Subject(s) - binge drinking , psychological intervention , limiting , medicine , population , heavy drinking , environmental health , psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , injury prevention , poison control , mechanical engineering , engineering
Background Heavy drinking among individuals with HIV is associated with major health concerns (liver disease, medication nonadherence, immune functioning), but little is known about cognitive‐motivational factors involved in alcohol consumption in this population, particularly reasons for limiting drinking. Methods Urban HIV primary care patients ( N = 254; 78.0% male; 94.5% African American or Hispanic) in a randomized trial of brief drinking‐reduction interventions reported on reasons for limiting drinking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol dependence symptoms prior to intervention. Results Exploratory factor analysis indicated 3 main domains of reasons for limiting drinking: social reasons (e.g., responsibility to family), lifestyle reasons (e.g., religious/moral reasons), and impairment concerns (e.g., hangovers). These factors evidenced good internal consistency ( α s = 0.76 to 0.86). Higher scores on social reasons for limiting drinking were associated with lower typical quantity, maximum quantity, and binge frequency ( p s < 0.01), and higher scores on lifestyle reasons were associated with lower maximum quantity, binge frequency, and intoxication frequency ( p s < 0.01). In contrast, higher scores on impairment concerns were associated with more frequent drinking and intoxication, and higher risk of alcohol dependence ( p s < 0.05), likely because dependent drinkers are more familiar with alcohol‐induced impairment. Conclusions The current study is the first to explore reasons for limiting drinking among individuals with HIV and how these reasons relate to alcohol involvement. This study yields a scale that can be used to assess reasons for limiting drinking among HIV ‐positive drinkers and provides information that can be used to enhance interventions with this population. Discussing social and lifestyle reasons for limiting drinking among less extreme drinkers may support and validate these patients' efforts to limit engagement in heavy drinking; discussion of impairment reasons for limiting drinking may be a way to engage dependent drinkers in efforts to decrease their alcohol consumption.