Gender moderates the relationship between impulsivity and sexual risk-taking in a cocaine-using psychiatric outpatient population. (March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Black, Anne C.; McMahon, Thomas J.; Potenza, Marc N.; Fiellin, Lynn E.; Rosen, Marc I.
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 75(2015)
• Page Start: 190
• Page End: 194
• Publication Date: 2015-03
• Subjects: Impulsivity -- Risk -- Gender -- Psychiatric -- Cocaine -- HIV; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.11.035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Highlights: We model data from cocaine-using adults in outpatient psychiatric treatment. We assess whether gender moderates the impulsivity–sexual risk-taking association. We note a significant gender-by-impulsivity interaction for two risk outcomes. Impulsivity was associated with sexual risk-taking for men but not women. More impulsive men were three times more likely to have casual sexual partners. Abstract: Adults who abuse substances are at increased risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Within this population, sexual risk behaviors have been associated with increased impulsivity. Studies in non-clinical populations showing gender-related differences in sexual decision-making and casual sexual partnering suggest impulsivity has a greater influence on men than women, but these differences have not been documented in substance-using patients. In a sample of 89 adults with recent cocaine use and receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment, we tested the hypothesis that gender moderates the effect of impulsivity on sexual risk-taking. Using logistic regression modeling, we tested the main and gender-moderated effects of task-related impulsivity on the probability of having a casual sexual partner and multiple sexual partners. Results confirmed a significant gender-by-impulsivity interaction; men who were more impulsive on a continuous performance task had significantly higher rates of sexual risk-taking than less impulsive men, but women's impulsivity was unrelated to these outcomes. Impulsive men were over three times as likely as less impulsive men to have a recent casual partner. Implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.