Severity of child sexual abuse, post- traumatic stress and risky sexual behaviors among HIV-positive women.
Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been shown to enhance risk for HIV infection and other adverse outcomes. However, most studies examine the effects of a single incident of CSA rather than the full burden of abuse over the life span in predicting these adverse outcomes. A multi-dimensional approach was used in this study to examine the severity of abuse as a predictor of post-traumatic stress, depression, sexual symptoms, and risky sexual behaviors in a multi-ethnic sample of 147 HIV-positive women. Multivariate models indicated that experiencing both intrafamilial and extrafamilial CSA, adult sexual abuse (ASA) and Latina ethnicity predicted PTSD symptoms. ASA also predicted sexual trauma symptoms. Also, CSA and adult re-victimization contributed independently to risk for PTSD and sexual trauma symptoms, but not for risky sexual behaviors. The results support the need for interventions for HIV-positive women that address the full burden of abuse experienced and its sequelae.
Myers
Hector F
HF
Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. myers@psych.ucla.edu
Wyatt
Gail E
GE
Loeb
Tamra Burns
TB
Carmona
Jennifer Vargas
JV
Warda
Umme
U
Longshore
Douglas
D
Rivkin
Inna
I
Chin
Dorothy
D
Liu
Honghu
H
D000328:Adult; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*