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Antisocial personality disorder and HIV infection among intravenous drug abusers
R K Brooner1, L Greenfield, C W Schmidt
1Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Objective:
Antisocial personality disorder in drug abusers has been associated with poor treatment outcome. The authors examined the relationship between diagnosis of antisocial personality and HIV infection.
Method:
Subjects were 272 intravenous drug abusers, 140 (52%) of whom were in methadone treatment. Subjects were given an HIV risk behavior interview before diagnostic interviewing and HIV testing.
Results:
Using the DSM-III-R definition, the authors found that 119 (44%) of the subjects met criteria for antisocial personality. Significantly more of the subjects with antisocial personality (18% [N = 21] than of the subjects without antisocial personality (8% [N = 12]) had HIV infection. The diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder was associated with a significantly higher odds ratio of infection independent of ethnicity, gender, and treatment status.
Conclusions:
Antisocial personality is a risk factor for HIV infection among intravenous drug abusers.