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The Effect of Sexual and Physical Violence on Risky Sexual Behavior and STDs Among a Cohort of HIV Seropositive Women

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Abstract

HIV seropositive women are subject to physical and sexual violence over the course of time. Of interest in this paper is (a) whether recent experience of violence predicts STD incidence among HIV-positive women and (b) whether risky sexual behavior and depression mediate such a relation. Results indicated both forced sexual contact and experience of physical violence predicted STD, incidence, number of partners, and depression. Number of partners mediated the relation between physical violence and STD incidence, although only a distinct minority of both abused (7.7%) and nonabused (3.9%) women had incident STDs. Also noteworthy was that women appeared generally able to alleviate conditions of abuse across visits. The pattern of results suggests that HIV caregivers should attend to violence issues among HIV-positive women and the interaction of violence and risky sexual behavior, as well as actual sexual behaviors.

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Hogben, M., Gange, S.J., Watts, D.H. et al. The Effect of Sexual and Physical Violence on Risky Sexual Behavior and STDs Among a Cohort of HIV Seropositive Women. AIDS Behav 5, 353–361 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013138923777

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