Perceptions of power equality among drug-using women

This study examined the associations between perceptions of the power equality in a current sexual relationship and each of several alternative indicators of power in a sample of drug-using women. Using targeted sampling, 262 women were recruited from the streets of Anchorage, Alaska. A battery of face-to-face questionnaires was administered to adult women who gave evidence of recent drug use (track marks or positive urinalysis) and had been recently sexually active. Perceived power equality was associated with physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, self-efficacy, sexual communication, and income for main partners, and the trade of sex and traditionalism of her views on home and family for casual partners. These findings suggest that power is a complex, multifaceted construct, and that type of relationship must be considered when trying to understand the meaning of power within drug-using women's lives. Implications for risk behavior interventions are discussed.