Examining The Effectiveness Of Multiple Imputation: A Case Study On Hiv Risk Behaviors In Women Receiving Treatment For Substance Use Disorders

Women in the United States are becoming infected with HIV more quickly now than ever before; many of whom are at higher risk because of their substance use habits or that of their partners.: CDC, 2010) This study analyzes cross sectional data regarding the risk behaviors and addiction severity of a sample of women receiving treatment for substance use disorders: SUDs). The data was gathered between 2006 and 2010 at a women's substance use treatment center in St. Louis, Missouri: MO), the name of which cannot be disclosed. We develop a scale, the HIV Risk Scale: HRS), to quantify a woman's risk of contracting HIV at the time of presenting for rehabilitation based on self-reported sexual and drug behaviors. We then, using the seven interviewer-ratings of the Addiction Severity Index: ASI) as predictors of the HRS, examine the results of regression using two methods to adjust for missing data:: 1) case-wise deletion and: 2) multiple imputation. Results suggest that using several of the ASI, a tool already implemented in rehabilitation efforts, interventions can be tailored to address more closely all of the issues regarding the health and safety of substance abusing women seeking relief from addiction. Results show that specifically looking at the interviewer's assessment of how severely addiction impacts legal, drug-related, alcohol-related, employment-related and medical aspects of a woman's life may enable treatment centers to help her alleviate the HIV to which she maybe exposed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mathematics

Year dc:date.available

2011

Author dc:creator

• Murden, Raphiel

Contributors dc:contributor

• Edward Spitznagel

• Statistics
• Missing data
• Multiple Imputation
• HIV
• Substance Use Disorder
• Women

Language dc:language

English (en)

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7936/K78050PK

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:openscholarship.wustl.edu:etd-1495