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Vulnerability to HIV Among Women Formerly Incarcerated and Women with Incarcerated Sexual Partners

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Abstract

HIV risk was assessed in association with a history of incarceration and having a sexual partner with a history of incarceration in a population sample of low-income young women residing in San Francisco. Of the 235 women surveyed, 23% reported prior incarceration and 42% reported having a sexual partner with a history of incarceration. Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (including HIV) was no higher among previously incarcerated women or those with a sexual partner with a history of incarceration. Women with a prior incarceration were significantly more likely to report injecting drugs, exchanging sex for money or drugs, and history of forced sex. Women reporting sexual partners with a history of incarceration were significantly more likely to report incarceration history, history of STIs, and history of forced sex. Interventions aimed at reducing substance abuse, STIs, commercial/survival sex, and the effects of sexual coercion need to be strengthened for women within and transitioning out of correctional facilities.

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Kim, A., Page-Shafer, K., Ruiz, J. et al. Vulnerability to HIV Among Women Formerly Incarcerated and Women with Incarcerated Sexual Partners. AIDS Behav 6, 331–338 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021148712866

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