Intimate partner violence and HIV risk among urban minority women in primary health care settings

Abstract

This study describes the associations between intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV risk among urban, predominantly minority women. Interviews were conducted with 1,590 women, predominantly African American and Latina, attending hospital-based health care clinics. Approximately 1 in 5 women reported experiencing IPV in their current primary heterosexual relationships; about 1 in 8 women reported experiencing IPV in the preceding 6 months. Compared to women who reported no IPV in their primary relationships, women reporting past or current IPV perpetrated by their primary partners were more likely to report having multiple sexual partners, a past or current sexually transmitted infection (STI), inconsistent use or nonuse of condoms, and a partner with known HIV risk factors. These findings indicate that urban minority women experiencing IPV are at elevated risk for HIV infection, results that carry important implications in the efforts to improve HIV and IPV risk assessment protocols and intervention/prevention strategies for women in primary health care settings.