This study experimentally tested the effects of a drinking event on HIV-related behavioral skills and condom attitudes. Sixty unmarried, heterosexual men were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions (sober, placebo, or alcohol). Participants who consumed alcohol demonstrated lower skill to negotiate for condom use relative to sober controls. More negative condom attitudes were expressed by participants with stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies, especially when these expectancies were triggered by subjective intoxication. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the experimental factors accounted for variance in behavioral skills and condom attitudes beyond that explained by known predictors of sexual risk.
PIP: 60 unmarried, heterosexual men of mean age 24.9 years were recruited from the community through newspaper advertisements and flyers to participate in a study to evaluate the effects of drinking-related and dispositional variables on the antecedents of safer sex behavior. 87% of the men were White, 72% drank alcohol 3-4 times per week, 75% had multiple sex partners in the past year (an average of 3.2 partners), 72% did not always use condoms, and all were told that they would be participating in an alcohol and communication study. The men were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions, sober, placebo, or alcohol, to experimentally test the effects of a drinking event upon HIV-related behavioral skills and condom attitudes. Men in the alcohol group received vodka and tonic drinks, men in the placebo group received all tonic drinks with a bit of vodka rubbed on the glass to make the subjects think that the drinks contained vodka, and men in the sober group received only tonic water. 20 men were in each group. All drinks were made in the presence of the subjects, with the tonic being poured from a vodka-labelled bottle in the placebo group. Participants were instructed to finish their drinks in 30 minutes, after which time they participated in role-play scenarios. The men who consumed alcohol demonstrated lower skill in negotiating condom use relative to sober controls and were more likely to consent to sex without a condom. More negative condom attitudes were expressed by participants with stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies, especially when those expectancies were triggered by subjective intoxication. Regression analyses determined that the drinking event, especially beverage content, accounted for variance in behavioral skills and condom attitudes beyond that explained by known predictors of sexual risk.