Background: The Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region has one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics, concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID). In Kyrgyzstan, HIV prevalence among PWID is 14.3%, far higher than the general population. Post-Soviet economic challenges pushed many into informal economies, heightening HIV risk. Financial vulnerability (FV)—such as unstable housing—has been linked to unsafe injection practices, yet little quantitative research in the EECA region has examined FV’s broader impact on HIV transmission. This study aimed to validate the Family Resource Scale (FRS) as a measure of FV among PWID in Kyrgyzstan and assess its association with HIV risk behaviors.

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