Associations between partner violence perpetration and history of STI among HIV-infected substance using men in Russia

Abstract

Studies document a significant association between victimization from intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV among substance using women in Russia and elsewhere, but no study has examined IPV perpetration and STI among Russian men or HIV-infected men in Eastern Europe. This study was designed to assess the association between lifetime history of IPV perpetration and STI (lifetime and current) among substance using HIV-infected men in Russia. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted with baseline data from 415 male participants enrolled in a randomized HIV intervention clinical trial [the HERMITAGE Study]. Participants were HIV-infected men reporting recent heavy alcohol use and unprotected sex in St. Petersburg, Russia. Baseline surveys assessed demographics, IPV perpetration, risk behaviors, and STI history. Current STI was assessed via blood testing for syphilis and urine testing for gonorrhea, Chlamydia and trichomonas. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between history of IPV with lifetime and current STI. Participants were aged 20–57 years. Almost half of participants (46%) reported a history of IPV perpetration; 81% reported past 30-day binge alcohol use, and 43% reported past 30-day injection drug use. Past and current STI was 41% and 12%, respectively. Men reporting a history of IPV perpetration had significantly higher odds of reporting ever having an STI (AOR=1.6, 95% CI=1.1, 2.4) but lower odds of testing positive for a current STI (AOR=0.50, 95% CI=0.26, 0.96). These findings demonstrate that a history of male IPV perpetration is common in HIV-infected Russian men and associated with a history of STI. Programmatic work toward IPV prevention is needed in Russia and may be beneficial in mitigating STIs, but more research is needed to understand how and why the association between IPV and STI changes over time in this population.

Intimate partner violence victimization and HIV infection among men who have sex with men in Shanghai, China

“…Consistent with the known literature (11,(22)(23)(24)(25)(26), we also found that MSM engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors such as commercial sex and casual sex, or had a history of STIs are more likely to report IPV victimization. Notably, our findings reveal that young MSM reported more sexual violence than older MSM.…”

Association Between Intimate Partner Violence Against Women and HIV-Risk Behaviors

“…Behavioral evidence has shown that abusive men exhibit a number of HIV-risk behaviors, including having multiple sexual partners, frequent alcohol use, visiting sex workers, and having an STI (Raj et al, 2013; Townsend et al, 2011). Thus, the likelihood of HIV transmission from infected men to women increases through the heightened possibility of physical injury (i.e., tearing or laceration) during forced or non-consensual sexual acts perpetrated by a male partner (Campbell et al, 2013; Silverman et al, 2007; Stockman, Lucea, & Campbell, 2013).…”

History of intimate partner violence is associated with sex work but not sexually transmitted infection among HIV-positive female drinkers in Russia

“…For example, in St. Petersburg, alcohol misuse and certain drinking contexts (e.g. on the street) were associated with male IPV perpetration [13, 25]. In St. Petersburg, IDU has been strongly associated with HIV/STIs [26].…”

“…As the epidemic in Russia increasingly includes cases of sexually transmitted HIV [20, 23, 25, 26–27], research on sexual risk factors for HIV becomes more important. This study addresses this gap in the field by examining whether history of IPV increases risk for STI and related sexual risk behaviors among HIV-positive female drinkers in Russia.…”