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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 2000 Apr;90(4):560–565. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.4.560

Domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse in HIV-infected women and women at risk for HIV.

M Cohen 1, C Deamant 1, S Barkan 1, J Richardson 1, M Young 1, S Holman 1, K Anastos 1, J Cohen 1, S Melnick 1
PMCID: PMC1446192  PMID: 10754970

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and effect of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse in women with HIV or at risk for HIV infection. METHODS: Participants with HIV or at risk for HIV infection enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Childhood sexual abuse; all physical, sexual, and coercive violence by a partner; HIV serostatus; demographic data; and substance use and sexual habits were assessed. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 66% and 67%, respectively, in 1288 women with HIV and 357 uninfected women. One quarter of the women reported recent abuse, and 31% of the HIV-seropositive women and 27% of the HIV-seronegative women reported childhood sexual abuse. Childhood sexual abuse was strongly associated with a lifetime history of domestic violence and high-risk behaviors, including using drugs, having more than 10 male sexual partners and having male partners at risk for HIV infection, and exchanging sex for drugs, money, or shelter. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypothesis of a continuum of risk, with early childhood abuse leading to later domestic violence, which may increase the risk of behaviors leading to HIV infection.

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Selected References

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