Exploring child maltreatment and its relationship to alcohol and cannabis use in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries

Substance Abuse during Adulthood Subsequent to the Experience of Physical Abuse and Psychological Distress during Childhood

“…This study was a part of a larger research that investigated childhood maltreatment and substance use within Latin American and Caribbean countries (14,15). This present segment utilized systematic sampling techniques to collect retrospective data from 382 (103 males and 279 females) Jamaican undergraduate university students.…”

Association Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and HIV-Related Risk Factors for HIV-Positive Haitian Women

“…Studies have long established that victims of CSA exhibit greater sexual risk behaviors than persons who have not experienced CSA (Parcesepe et al, 2015;O'Cleirigh, Safren, & Mayer, 2012;Sikkema et al 2013;Pence et al, 2012;Jones, et al, 2010b;Whetten, 2006;McCauley et al, 1997). The few studies conducted in developing countries on the matter have also produced the same results, indicating the pervasiveness of higher levels of sexual risk behaviors among victims of CSA, regardless of country of origin (Parcesepe et al, 2015;Richter et al, 2014;Longman-Mills et al, 2013;Tomaszewski, 2012). Jones and colleagues (2010b) noted that the accepted hypothesis is that CSA "results in a sense of powerlessness that may undermine the self-efficacy critical to navigating relationships, including sexual relations, increasing the likelihood that alcohol, for example, may be used to cope with impending sexual encounters" (p. 668).…”

“…Studies have indicated that some of the most common risk factors associated with HIV infection among Haitian women living in Haiti include multiple lifetime sexual partners, lack of condom use within or outside of monogamous relationships, lack of education, and economic hardship (Logie, Daniel, Newman, & Loutfy, 2012;Rosenberg, Seavey, Jules, & Kershaw, 2011;Fawzi et al, 2010;Fawzi et al, 2003;Deschamps & Pape, 1996). While these risk factors appear to be the most common among Haitian women infected with HIV, other risk factors, such as childhood sexual abuse, may also contribute to the prevalence of HIV among this population based on research conducted in similar, lowresource settings (Parcesepe, 2015;Richter et al, 2014;Longman-Mills et al, 2013;Tomaszewski, 2012).…”

“…As discussed, the majority of studies conducted in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe highlight the fact that there is a great need to increase research in poorer nations to determine ways to improve disease outcomes and quality of life (Parcesepe et al, 2015;Longman-Mills et al, 2013;Lanius, Vermetten, & Pain, 2010;Whetten et al, 2008;Sikkema et al, 2008;Myers et al, 2006;Masinda & Muhindo, 2004;Wyatt, Myers, & Loeb, 2004;Wyatt et al, 2002;DeJong et al, 2001). These and other recent studies underscore the need to address CSA and various levels of trauma when addressing HIV risk reduction programs, regardless of the racial/ethnic background of the participants.…”

“…However, there is limited research on the subject in lowresource settings such as Haiti, Mongolia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Francophone African countries (Parcesepe et al, 2015;Longman-Mills et al, 2013;Lanius, Vermetten, & Pain, 2010;Whetten et al, 2008;Masinda & Muhindo, 2004;DeJong et al, 2001). Where the research does exist in third world or low-resource settings such as parts of Asia, the Middle East, and English-speaking African countries like Rwanda and South Africa, it primarily focuses on childhood trauma due to war, famine, and natural disasters, with some research dedicated to sexual abuse in South Africa (LeGrand et al, 2015;Richter et al, 2014;Lanius, Vermetten, & Pain, 2010;Masinda & Muhindo, 2004).…”