title: Women's communication self-efficacy and expectations of primary male partners' cooperation in sexually transmitted infection treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Effective control of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) depends on affected patients notifying their sexual partners, and partners following through with screening and treatment. Our study assessed high-risk-STI women's confidence in STI-diagnosis-related communications with their primary male partners in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and determined associated characteristics of the women and their partners.
  
  
  METHODS
  We employed convenience and snowball sampling in a clinic-based setting to recruit 126 women from August to October 2013. All data were obtained from women's self-report.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportions of participants who were "slightly confident" or "very confident" that they could disclose their STI positivity to partners, ask partners to have an STI examination or treatment, and give partners bacterial-STI medications were 70.3%, 62.1%, and 69.0%, respectively. The proportions who perceived that their partners would be "very likely" to have an STI examination and to take STI medications were 16.2% and 38.8%, respectively. Significantly lower self-efficacy was observed in women who had a lower education level, who had ever traded sex, or whose primary partners were not husbands or fiancés.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest potential for piloting STI-partner-targeted interventions. To be effective, these programs should improve women's self-efficacy and primary partners' cooperation with screening and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Ly.T.Tran@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Ly Thi-Hai
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Thanh Cong
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Bui
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Markham
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.affiliation: Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Quan Minh
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Alan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Nyitray
authors.affiliation: Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Thuy Thi-Thu
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Huynh
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Lu-Yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D030881:Disclosure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D020377:Self Efficacy; D060386:Sex Workers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014744:Vietnam / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult