Alcohol related problems, family type and youth HIV/AIDS risk behaviour

Abstract

This paper examined the extent to which youth involvement in HIV/AIDS risk behaviours is related to their patterns of alcohol consumption and differences in family structure. Random surveys were conducted and data collected from pre-degree male and female students at two institutions of higher learning in Akwa Ibom State , Nigeria. Two scales were used for data collection: Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviour Questionnaire (HRBQ) and the collected data were subjected to Chi-square goodness of fit test. Two hypotheses were tested in this study. The first hypothesis predicted a significant association between alcohol-related problems and youth HIV/AIDS risk behavior was confirmed {X² (4) = 39.91, p < 0.05}. Results also confirmed the second hypothesis which predicted that family type would be significantly related to youth HIV/AIDS risk behaviour {X² (1) = 4.48, p <0.05}. The results were discussed in line with existing relevant literature. Practical implications of results and recommendations were also highlighted.

Key Words: Alcohol dependence, alcohol abuse, family type, hazardous drinking, responsible drinking