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Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine logoLink to Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
. 2014 Feb 22;82(2):237–249. doi: 10.1093/jurban/jti048

Poverty-related stressors and HIV/AIDS transmission risks in two South African communities

Seth C Kalichman 1,✉, Leickness C Simbayi 2,✉, Sean Jooste 2, Chauncey Cherry 1, Demetria Cain 1
PMCID: PMC3456564  PMID: 15888636

Abstract

Community stress associated with poverty is related to health risks and poor health outcomes. Perceived community stress is specifically related to HIV transmission risk behaviors in the United States, but research bas not examined these relationships in southern Africa, the region of the world with the highest rates of HIV infection and among the greatest poverty. Men (N=464) and women (N=531) living in impoverished adjacent communities distinguished by race (e.g., indigenous African and Coloured) completed anonymous surveys of perceptions of 10 poverty-related community stressors and measures of HIV risk-related behaviors. Indigenous African and Coloured communities differed in their perceptions of stressors, with Africans consistently viewing the 10 community stressors as more serious problems. In addition, perceived seriousness of lacking basic living resources was related to higher risk for HIV among Africans. Perceived community stress was also related to alcohol and drug use, but substance use did not mediate the association between perceived community stress and HIV risks. In the Coloured community, perceived community stressors were related to drug use, but percived community stressors were not associated with HIV risks. These findings extend the findings of previous research to show that povertyrelated stressors are associated with HIV transmission risks in some poverty-stricken communities and that these associations are not mediated by substance use.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS prevention, Southern Africa, Poverty, Heath Behavior

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Contributor Information

Seth C. Kalichman, Email: seth.k@uconn.edu

Leickness C. Simbayi, Email: lsimbayi@hsrc.ac.za

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