title: Strength in the midst of pain: Abuse as a predictor of sexual relationship power among substance-abusing Black women.
abstract: The aim of this research was to explore the association of abuse experiences (child sexual abuse and adult physical/sexual violence) to sexual relationship power among Black substance-abusing women. The study was a secondary analysis of baseline data collected from 124 Black women in 12 drug treatment programs across the United States who initially participated in an HIV risk reduction trial conducted within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The findings revealed that adult sexual abuse, but not childhood sexual or adult physical abuse, was associated with lower relationship control and decision-making dominance as measured by the Sexual Relationship Power Scale. The findings suggest that designing and implementing sexual risk reduction interventions that address adult sexual violence may enhance the relationship power of Black substance-abusing women and in turn may promote safer sex practices.
authors.affiliation: a University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , Ohio.
authors.forename: Chizara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahuama-Jonas
authors.affiliation: a University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , Ohio.
authors.forename: A Kathleen
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Burlew
authors.affiliation: b New York State Psychiatric Institute , Columbia University Medical Center , New York , New York.
authors.forename: Aimee N C
authors.initials: ANC
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: c HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies , Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons , New York , New York.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tross
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D000066550:Physical Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D011209:Power, Psychological; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000523:psychology; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States
keywords: Abuse; African American; relationship power; substance abuse; women