Normative Perceptions, Substance Use, Age of Substance Use Initiation, and Gender as Predictors of HIV-Risky Sexual Behavior in a College Student Sample

College students' personal substance use, age of substance use initiation, and perceptions of their peers' HIV-risky sexual behavior were assessed as predictors of personal HIV-risky sexual behavior. In addition to examining the variables separately by gender, these predictors were evaluated under two different contextual conditions: "drunk or high" and "not drunk or high." Results indicated that frequency of recent alcohol use for females, frequency of marijuana use for both genders, and frequency of binge drinking for males positively predicted HIV-risky behavior. In addition, exaggerated perceptions of peer HIV-risky sexual behavior predicted personal HIV-risky sexual behavior for both males and females. Finally, later age of marijuana use initiation predicted HIV-risky sexual behavior for females.