Prior studies have found that partner abuse is related to risky sexual behavior. However, few studies have explored gender, sexual orientation, or substance use differences in this association, especially among people with HIV. We examined data from the Risk and Prevention survey from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS) sample on 726 sexually-active individuals in three gender/orientation groups (286 women, 148 heterosexual men, and 292 gay/bisexual men). The study assessed whether individuals with HIV who experienced or perpetrated abuse within a close relationship were likely to engage in unprotected intercourse with that same partner. Both abuse perpetration and victimization were significantly associated with having any unprotected intercourse. In multivariate tests, gender/orientation and substance use during sex moderated the perpetration effects. Secondary HIV prevention interventions need to take into account potentially abusive contexts in which sexual activity may occur for both men and women.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Supported by funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant R01HD41878, with additional support from National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01DA12819-02. The Risk and Prevention study was funded under NICHHD R01HD35040. The HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study was conducted under cooperative agreement U-01HS08578 (Martin F. Shapiro, PI; Samuel A. Bozzette, Co-PI) between RAND and the Agency for Health Research and Quality. Substantial additional funding for this cooperative agreement was provided by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Minority Health through the National Institute of Dental Research. Additional support was provided by Merck and Company, Inc., Glaxo-Wellcome, Incorporated, the National Institute on Aging, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Cunningham also received partial support from the UCLA-Drew Project Export, National Institutes of Health, National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities (P20-MD00148-01), and the UCLA Center for Health Improvement in Minority Elders/Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging (AG-02-004).
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Bogart, L.M., Collins, R.L., Cunningham, W. et al. The Association of Partner Abuse with Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Women and Men with HIV/AIDS. AIDS Behav 9, 325–333 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9006-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9006-1