Description

Background:
The AIDS-Risk Behavior Assessment (ARBA) is a structured interview designed specifically for use with adolescents to assess their self-reported sexual behavior, drug/alcohol use, and needle use associated with HIV-infection. It was derived from four well-established measures of sexual behavior and drug/alcohol use (Dowling et al., 1994; Institute of Behavioral Science, 1991; Needle et al., 1995; NIDA, 1995; Watters, 1994; Weatherby et al., 1994) and assesses alcohol and drug use (e.g., lifetime use, method of use, frequency), needle use (e.g., sharing, tattooing, piercing), and sexual behavior (e.g., lifetime sexual intercourse, frequency, contraceptive use, high-risk sexual behavior) within the past 30 days and the past 3 months. The ARBA uses a skip structure so that initial screening questions answered in the negative are not followed by more detailed items.

.Developers:
Donenberg GR, Emerson E, Bryant FB, Wilson H, Weber-Shifrin E (2001), Understanding AIDS-risk behavior among adolescents in psychiatric care: links to psychopathology and peer relationships. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:642-653

Copyright:
1994

References:
Donenberg GR, Emerson E, Bryant FB, Wilson H, Weber-Shifrin E (2001), Understanding AIDS-risk behavior among adolescents in psychiatric care: links to psychopathology and peer relationships. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:642-653

Dowling S, Johnson ME, Fisher DG (1994), Reliability of drug users’ self-report of recent drug use. Assessment 1:382-392

Institute of Behavioral Science (1991), Denver Youth Survey Youth Interview Schedule. Boulder: University of Colorado; http://www.colorado.edu/IBS

Needle R, Fisher DG, Weatherby N et al. (1995), Reliability of self-reported HIV risk behaviors of drug users. Psychol Addict Behav 9:242-250

National Institute on Drug Abuse (1995), Prevalence of Drug Use in the DC Metropolitan Area Adult and Juvenile Offender Populations: 1991. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services

Watters JK (1994), Street Youth at Risk for AIDS (final report). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Weatherby NL, Needle R, Cesari H (1994), Validity of self-reported drug use among injection drug users and crack cocaine users recruited through street outreach. Educ Program Plann 17:347-355

Reliability:
Has shown high internal consistency measures (Dowling et al., 1994)

HIV-Related Outcomes:
Sex
Alcohol
Drug
Population:
Adolescent