Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 AIDS and Behavior https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02709-z ORIGINAL PAPER Motivation to Quit Drinking in Individuals Coinfected with HIV and Hepatitis C Jumi Hayaki 1  · Bradley J. Anderson 2  · Debra S. Herman 2,3  · Ethan Moitra 3  · Megan M. Pinkston 3,4  · H. Nina Kim 5,6  · Michael D. Stein 7 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract Alcohol consumption is common among individuals coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) despite the uniquely harm- ful efects in this population. Limited research has examined factors that could infuence drinking reduction or cessation among HIV/HCV coinfected persons; this study investigates motivation to quit. Participants were 110 alcohol-consuming HIV/HCV coinfected patients recruited from medical clinics. Participants self-reported 90-day drinking frequency and intensity; alcohol-related problems; reasons to quit drinking; reasons to drink; and motivation to quit drinking. Participants consumed alcohol on 54.1 (± 26.9) of the past 90 days. In a multivariate model that controlled for demographic variables, motivation to quit drinking was directly associated with alcohol-related problems (β y·x = 0.35, p = .007) and reasons to quit drinking (β y·x = 0.23, p = .021), and inversely associated with drinking for enhancement (β y·x = − 0.36, p = .004). This study identifed several factors associated with motivation to quit drinking in a sample of alcohol-consuming HIV/HCV patients. Keywords Motivation to quit · Alcohol consumption · HIV/HCV coinfection Introduction Hazardous drinking is common among persons living with HIV (PLWH) [1] and may cause unique harm in this popu- lation. For instance, even at lower levels of alcohol con- sumption, PLWH experience increased mortality and phys- ical injury compared to their uninfected counterparts [2]. Alcohol use is also known to compromise both adherence to antiretroviral therapy [3, 4] and retention in HIV care [5], exacerbate HIV pathogenesis [6, 7], and correlate with mul- tiple medical and psychiatric comorbidities [8, 9]. Problem drinkers with HIV are less likely to seek treatment for their drinking than uninfected individuals [10], and many PLWH appear unaware of the medical risks associated with their alcohol use [11] or continue drinking despite knowledge of the risks [12]. In particular, drinking to cope with negative afect appears to be associated with continued heavy drink- ing in PLWH [13]. Interventions to reduce drinking among PLWH have produced mixed results, with some reviews reporting limited success [10] and others reporting success [14]. Excessive drinking is frequent among individuals with hepatitis C (HCV) infection, who also experience uniquely harmful negative alcohol-related consequences [15]. For instance, alcohol consumption exacerbates the underlying liver disease associated with HCV [16, 17]. In a parallel to the HIV literature, many drinkers with HCV do not seek alcohol-related care [18] or continue drinking despite knowledge of its negative efects [19, 20]. Drinking to cope with negative afect and to socialize [21] is common in this population, and the former is especially associated * Jumi Hayaki jhayaki@holycross.edu 1 Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, P.O. Box 217A, Worcester, MA 01610, USA 2 Behavioral Medicine and Addictions Research Unit, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA 3 Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA 4 Lifespan Physicians Group, Providence, RI, USA 5 Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 6 Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 7 Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA