Latinas are nearly 3 times more likely to acquire AIDS than other women in the United States. It is critical to understand this vulnerability and to identify predictors of risk. Structural equation models were used to test predictors, mediators (including components of the health belief model), and sex-related outcomes and behavior. Interview data were collected from a random, cross-sectional community sample of 227 sexually active Latinas (M age = 32 years). Acculturation was associated with higher HIV-related risks within primary relationships. Older Latinas were less likely than younger Latinas to make behavior changes or use barrier methods of contraception to prevent HIV, and they had higher rates of unintended pregnancies. Marriage was related to greater relationship risk and less behavior change. Theoretical models must account for ethnicity, race, and culture to understand better unwanted sexual outcomes for Latinas, including HIV risks. Strategies are needed that specifically address these issues in HIV prevention and counseling programs.
This study examined the prevalence and circumstances of child sexual abuse in a community sample of Latina women, 18 to 50 years of age. Chi-square tests of independence and t-test procedures were used to assess the prevalence, characteristics of the victim, assault, perpetrator, disclosure, and long-term effects. One in three Latina women reported incidents of sexual abuse, regardless of acculturation or citizenship status. More than one third of the women also experienced revictimization, with more than 80% of initial incidents occurring from the age of 7 years. The majority of the experiences occurred in private locations, by young male perpetrators, known to the victim. Four women were forced to marry perpetrators of their abuse. Treatment implications and community-based interventions for Latina survivors of child sexual abuse are discussed.
Risky and precautionary sexual behaviors were examined in a community sample of 260 single and married/cohabitating White women. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the ability of age, socioeconomic status (SES), marital status, religiosity, and 9 health belief constructs to predict risky sexual behavior with one's partner, using a barrier method of birth control, unintended pregnancies, and number of sexual partners in the past year. The pattern of results suggests that single White women appear to feel more vulnerable to HIV and STD infection and more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than do married White women. The discussion focuses on the importance of sociocultural factors in understanding risk behaviors within the social context of relationship status, the complexity of the concept of risk reduction, and the need for going beyond the health belief model in order to develop different HIV prevention strategies for single and married White women.
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