title: Context of risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections among incarcerated women in the south: individual, interpersonal, and societal factors.
abstract: Incarcerated women are disproportionately affected by HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) due to risk factors before, during, and after imprisonment. This study assessed the behavioral, social, and contextual conditions that contribute to continuing sexual risk behaviors among incarcerated women to inform the adaptation of an evidenced-based behavioral intervention for this population. Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 current and 28 former women prisoners to assess HIV/STI knowledge, perceptions of risk, intimate relationships, and life circumstances. Interviews were independently coded using an iterative process and analyzed using established qualitative analytic methods. Major themes identified in the interviews involved three focal points: individual risk (substance abuse, emotional need, self-worth, perceptions of risk, and safer sex practices); interpersonal risk (partner pressure, betrayal, and violence); and risk environment (economic self-sufficiency and preparation for reentry). These findings highlight the critical components of HIV/STI prevention interventions for incarcerated women.
authors.affiliation: a School of Nursing , The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , North Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Catherine I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Fogel
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gelaude
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carry
authors.forename: Jeffrey H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheyette
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neevel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D010465:Perception; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV/STI prevention; behavioral intervention; reentry; relationship abuse; sexual risk; substance abuse; women prisoners