Partner Violence and Sexual HIV-Risk Behaviors Among Women in an Inner-City Emergency Department

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between partner violence and sexual risk behaviors in a sample of predominantly Latina and African American women who sought medical care from a New York City hospital emergency department. Eligibility criteria selected women between the ages of 18 and 55, who were sexually active in the past 90 days, and were triaged to nonemergency care. The interview addressed demographics, partner violence, childhood abuse, sexual behavior, and drug and alcohol use. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between partner violence and history of having a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and of having sex with a risky partner. Nearly one half of the 143 respondents (46.1 %, n = 66) reported that they had experienced physical, sexual, or life-threatening abuse by a boyfriend or spouse in the past and 17.5% reported that abuse had occurred within the past year. In the univariate analyses, abused women were more likely than nonabused women to report having had an STD; engaging in sex with a risky partner; having more than one sexual partner; and being tested for HIV. After controlling for confounding variables, abused women were almost five times more likely than their counterparts to have reported an STD and four times more likely to engage in sex with a risky sexual partner. The relationship between partner violence and sexual risk behaviors among women seeking treatment in an emergency department suggests the need for the development of HIV-risk reduction strategies that address the needs of women in abusive relationships.

Screening and Assessing Violence and Mental Health Disorders in a Cohort of Inner City HIV-Positive Youth between 1998–2006

“…[45][46][47] In addition, one study of sexually active women surveyed in an emergency department setting revealed that after adjusting for childhood abuse and age, women who have been abused in the past in comparison to non abused women were almost 5 times more likely to have contracted an sexually transmitted disease and 4.2 times more likely to have sex with a high-risk partner in the month prior to the interview. 48 Sexually abused men were significantly more likely than homosexual and bisexual men with no history of sex abuse to engage in HIV risk behaviors and to be HIV positive. 49 Further, one study noted that a history of multiple abuse during adolescence and young adulthood had a greater association with HIV infection than just one sexual abuse event in adolescence.…”

Attitudes toward computer interventions for partner abuse and drug use among women in the emergency department

“…Estimates of recent partner abuse among ED patients range from 12 to 19% and of lifetime partner abuse from 44 to 54% (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Substance use is a common comorbid condition with partner abuse; studies in a wide variety of ED settings have reported high rates of substance use among partner abuse survivors, ranging from 29-63% for drug use (5-8) and 19-64% for alcohol use (8,9).…”

Intimate Partner Violence and HIV Risks: A Longitudinal Study of Men on Methadone

“…Research on the relationship between experiencing IPV and HIV/STI transmission risks among heterosexual women has elucidated several pathways linking IPV and HIV/STI transmission risks that may also exist among male perpetrators, including (1) engaging in unprotected sex, 14,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] (2) higher rates of STIs, 29,[35][36][37][38][39] (3) sex with multiple sexual partners, 28,29,40 (4) disclosure of an STI or positive HIV status, 41,42 (5) trading sex for drugs or money, 36,43 (6) having a risky sexual partner (e.g., one who injects drugs is HIV-positive and/or has had sex with multiple partners), 28,29,33,36,38,[43][44][45] (7) forced sex, 43,46,47 and (8) injecting drug use. 20 This study builds on previous research linking perpetration of IPV and HIV/STI transmission risks by examining the...…”