HIV risk behaviours and their relationship to intimate partner violence (IPV) among men who have multiple female sexual partners in Cape Town, South Africa.
HIV/AIDS and intimate partner violence (IPV) are growing public health concerns in South Africa. Knowledge about adult men's perpetration of IPV and links between HIV risk behaviours and IPV is limited. Respondent driven sampling was used to recruit men who have multiple concurrent female sexual partners. Forty-one percent of the 428 recruited men had perpetrated IPV. Inconsistent condom use was associated with physical IPV; experiencing a symptom of a sexually transmitted infection and engaging in transactional sex were associated with physical and sexual IPV; problem alcohol use was associated with physical, and any IPV, but not sexual IPV; having five or more partners was associated with sexual IPV; perceptions of partners' infidelity were associated with physical and any IPV. HIV risk reduction interventions among men, especially those with multiple female sex partners, should incorporate strategies to change the underlying construction of masculinity that combines the anti-social and risky behaviours of IPV perpetration, inconsistent condom use, transactional sex and heavy alcohol consumption.
Townsend
Loraine
L
Health Systems Research Unit, Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, Cape Town, South Africa. loraine.townsend@mrc.ac.za
Jewkes
Rachel
R
Mathews
Catherine
C
Johnston
Lisa Grazina
LG
Flisher
Alan J
AJ
Zembe
Yanga
Y
Chopra
Mickey
M
D000328:Adult; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011902:Rape / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data