The HIV Risk-Taking Behavior Scale (HRBS)
View PDF - The HIV Risk-Taking Behavior Scale (HRBS)_Darke.pdf
Darke, S., Hall, W., Heather, N., Ward, J., & Wodak, A. (1991). The reliability and validity of a scale to measure HIV risk-taking behaviour among intravenous drug users. Aids, 5(2), 181.
Open response
Drug Use
1. How many times have you hit up (i.e. injected any drugs) in the last month?
0. Hasn't hit up
1. Once a week or less
2. More than once a week (but less than once a day)
3. Once a day
4. 2-3 times a day
5. More than 3 times a day
If subject has not injected in the last month, score zero for drug use and go to Question 7.
2. How many times in the last month have you used a needle after someone else had already used it?
0. No times
1. One time
2. Two times
3. 3-5 times
4. 6-10 times
5. More than 10 times
3. How many different people have used a needle before you in the last month?
0. None
1. One person
2. Two people
3. 3-5 people
4. 6-10 people
5. More than 10 people
4. How many times in the last month has someone used a needle after you have used it?
0. No times
1. One time
2. Two times
3. 3-5 times
4. 6-10 times
5. More than 10 times
5. How often, in the last month, have you cleaned needles before re-using them?
0. Does not re-use
1. Every time
2. Often
3. Sometimes
4. Rarely
5. Never
6. Before using needles again, how often in the last month did you use bleach to clean them?
0. Does not re-use
1. Every time
2. Often
3. Sometimes
4. Rarely
5. Never
Sexual Behavior
7. How many people, including clients, have you had sex with in the last month?
0. None
1. One person
2. Two people
3. 3-5 people
4. 6-10 people
5. More than 10 people
If no sex in last month, score zero for sexual behavior and end the interview.
8. How often have you used condoms when having sex with your regular partner(s) in the last month?
0. No regular partner/ no penetrative sex
1. Every time
2. Often
3. Sometimes
4. Rarely
5. Never
9. How often have you used condoms when you had sex with casual partners?
0. No casual partners/ no penetrative sex
1. Every time
2. Often
3. Sometimes
4. Rarely
5. Never
10. How often have you used condoms when you have been paid for sex in the last month?
0. No paid sex/ no penetrative sex
1. Every time
2. Often
3. Sometimes
4. Rarely
5. Never
11. How many times did you have anal sex in the last month?
0. No times
1. One time
2. Two times
3. 3-5 times
4. 6-10 times
5. More than 10 times
Cronbach's alpha =0.7; test-retest reliability (7 days) is 0.86.
Validity information was not available.
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Individuals may use this information for research or educational purposes only and may not use this information for commercial purposes. When using this instrument, please cite:
Darke, S., Hall, W., Heather, N., Ward, J., & Wodak, A. (1991). The reliability and validity of a scale to measure HIV risk-taking behaviour among intravenous drug users. Aids, 5(2), 181.
When presenting results using any survey information you obtained from the SABI, please acknowledge the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH funded program P30 AI50410.