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Experiences of Violence and Association with Decreased Drug Abstinence Among Women in Cape Town, South Africa

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Abstract

Drug abuse is a contributing factor in women’s HIV risk in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa. This study assessed whether experiencing violence is associated with reduced drug abstinence among adult women (n = 603) participating in a randomized field trial for an HIV prevention study in Cape Town. In relation to drug abstinence at 12-month follow-up, multivariable regression models were used to assess (1) baseline partner and non-partner victimization, and (2) victimization at 12-month follow-up among participants reporting baseline victimization. Baseline partner (AOR = 0.6; 95 % CI 0.4–0.9) and non-partner victimization (AOR = 0.6; 95 % CI 0.4–0.9) were associated with a reduced likelihood of drug abstinence at follow-up. Among participants who reported victimization at baseline, those no longer reporting victimization at follow-up did not differ significantly in drug abstinence compared with those who reported victimization at follow-up. The study findings highlight the lasting impact of victimization on women’s drug use outcomes, persisting regardless of whether violence was no longer reported at follow-up. Overall, the findings support the need for the primary prevention of violence to address the cycle of violence, drug use, and HIV among women in this setting.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Grant number R01HD058320. The interpretations and conclusions presented here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of NICHD or HHS. The funding organization played no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail code 0507, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Elizabeth Reed

  2. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Scott P. Novak, Felicia A. Browne & Wendee M. Wechsberg

  3. Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa

    Bronwyn Myers

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Bronwyn Myers

  5. Gillings Global School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Wendee M. Wechsberg

  6. Psychology in the Public Interest, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Wendee M. Wechsberg

  7. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA

    Wendee M. Wechsberg

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Reed
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  2. Bronwyn Myers
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  3. Scott P. Novak
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  4. Felicia A. Browne
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  5. Wendee M. Wechsberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Reed.

Additional information

This randomized trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, study identifier # NCT00729391.

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Reed, E., Myers, B., Novak, S.P. et al. Experiences of Violence and Association with Decreased Drug Abstinence Among Women in Cape Town, South Africa. AIDS Behav 19, 192–198 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0820-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0820-1

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