Substance abuse and medication adherence among HIV-positive women with histories of child sexual abuse.
Substance abuse increases the risks for infections and impairs medication adherence among HIV/AIDS patients. However, little is known about the characteristics of substance abuse and its impact on medication adherence among HIV-positive women with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). In the present study, 148 HIV-positive women with a history of CSA completed a structured interview assessing CSA severity, psychological status, substance abuse, medication adherence, and sexual decision-making. Severity of CSA was significantly associated with substance use but not with adherence. Participants who had used hard drugs and who had lower self-esteem and adherence self-efficacy reported significantly lower levels of adherence. Additional research on how CSA experiences impact health behaviors is needed to help develop culturally congruent interventions to reduce risk behaviors and facilitate better medication adherence for this vulnerable population.
Liu
Honghu
H
UCLA Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Los Angeles, California 90095-1736, USA. hhliu@ucla.edu
Longshore
Doug
D
Williams
John K
JK
Rivkin
Inna
I
Loeb
Tamra
T
Warda
Umme S
US
Carmona
Jennifer
J
Wyatt
Gail
G
D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003657:Decision Making; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents