title: The impact of childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence on sexually transmitted infections.
abstract: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adult intimate partner violence (IPV) have both been found to be associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) independently, but studies of STIs have rarely looked at victimization during both childhood and adulthood. This paper examines the relationship between CSA, IPV and STIs using data from a nested case-control study of 309 women recruited from multiple health care settings. Overall, 37.3% of women experienced no violence, 10.3% experienced CSA only, 27.3% experienced IPV only, and 25.0% experienced both CSA and IPV. Having ever been diagnosed with an STI was associated with violence (CSA only, odds ratios [OR] = 2.8, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 1.0-7.5; IPV only, OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.0-4.9; CSA and IPV: OR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.7-9.4), controlling for demographic characteristics. Women who experienced CSA were younger when they were first diagnosed. Understanding how both childhood and adult victimization are associated with diagnosis of STIs is important to reducing the incidence and prevalence of STIs, as well as the associated consequences of STIs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kentucky, Chandler Hospital, Lexington, KY 40536-0293, USA. corrine.williams@uky.edu
authors.forename: Corrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Laura Ann
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McCloskey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult