HIV Risk Predictors: Behavioral (Lang, 1997)

• Populations: Adolescents, young adults
• Age ranges: 13-19
• Languages: English
• Countries: United States

Items

Subscales

• Sexual Assertiveness Partner Communication, 5 Items
• Sexual Assertiveness Condom Use, 5 Items
• Substance Use, 8 Items
• Substance Abuse, 15 Items
• Self Risk History, 7 Items
• Partner-Risk History, 7 Items

Items by Subscale

Sexual Assertiveness Partner Communication

• I would ask if I want to know if my partner ever had an HIV test.
• I would ask my partner about the AIDS risk of his/her past partners, if I want to know.
• I would ask if I want to know if my partner ever had a STD.
• I would ask if I want to know if my partner ever had sex with someone who shoots drugs with a needle.
• I would ask if I want to know if my partner ever used needles to take drugs

Sexual Assertiveness Condom Use

• I would have sex without a condom if my partner doesn’t like them, even if I want to use one. (R)
• I would make sure my partner and I use a condom when we have sex.
• I would insist on using a condom if I want to, even if my partner doesn’t like them.
• I would have sex without using a condom if my partner insists, even if I don’t want to. (R)
• I would refuse to have sex if my partner refuses to use a condom

Substance Use

• In the past year, how often have you had a drink of beer, wine , or liquor?
• In the past year, how many drinks did you have when you drank alcohol? 
• In the past year, how often did you have 3 or more drinks in one day?
• In the past year, how often did you have 6 or more drinks in one day? 
• In the past year, how many times did you use marijuana or hashish (grass, pot, hash, hash oil) with out a doctor’s orders? 
• In the past year, how many times did you use other drugs without a doctor ‘s orders? 
• In the past year, how many times did you share a needle to shoot drugs?
• In the past year, how often have these things happened because of your drinking or drug use :
  
  • I had a hangover

Substance Abuse

Item Stem: In the past year, how often have these things
happened because of your drinking or drug use :

• I messed up on something important.
• I was in trouble with police or other authority.
• I broke or messed up someone else’s things.
• I got into an argument or fight.
• I got sick/threw up.
• I drove a car after having alcohol or drugs.
• I was hurt/injured.
• Someone I know talked to me about how I was acting.
• I thought I might have a drinking/drug problem.
• I couldn’t remember (blacked out).
• I did something I wished I hadn ‘t.
• I was arrested for drunk driving.
• I had sex that I wouldn ‘t have had if sober.
• I tried to stop using but didn’t
• I thought about or tried to kill myself

Self Risk History

• About how long have you been involved with your most recent sex partner?
• How old were you the first time you willingly had intercourse?
• About how many sex partners have you had in your life?
• About how many sex partners have you had in the past year?
• In the past year, did you use alcohol before having sex?
• In the past year, how many drinks did you normally have before having sex?
• In the past year, did you use marijuana or other drugs before having sex?

Partner-Risk History

• How sure are you that you have not been exposed to AIDS?
• How sure are you that your sex partner(s) have not been exposed to AIDS?
• Have you ever been tested for HIV?
• How many sex partners have you had who shoot drugs with a needle?
• How many sex partners have you had who tested positive for HIV or had AIDS?
• About how many sex partners has your most recent partner had?
• How sure are you about your answer to the above question?

(R) Item is reverse coded.

Scoring

Substance Use
Scale Range : 1-5; high score indicative of high substance use

Substance Abuse
Scale Range : 1-5; high score indicative of high substance abuse

Sexual Assertiveness Partner Communication
Scale Range : 1-5; high score indicative of high assertiveness for partner communication

Sexual Assertiveness Condom Use
Scale Range: 1-5; high score indicative of high assertiveness for condom use

Self Risk History
Scale Range : 1-5; high score indicative of high self risk history

Partner Risk History
Scale Range: 1-5; high score indicative of high partner risk history

Citations

Lang, Michelle A., “A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Adolescent HIV-Risk Predictors” (1997).
Open Access Dissertations. Paper 984.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/984

Team comments

This measure was developed as part of a set of 4 scales by Lang (1997). 

HIV Risk Predictors Scales:

• Cognitive
• Attitudinal
• Behavioral
• Psychosocial