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. 2022 Mar;28(3-4):823-850.
doi: 10.1177/10778012211019047. Epub 2021 Jul 16.

Help-Seeking to Cope With Experiences of Violence Among Women Living With HIV in Canada

Rebecca Gormley  1   2 , Valerie Nicholson  1   2 , Rebeccah Parry  1 , Melanie Lee  1 , Kath Webster  1 , Margarite Sanchez  1 , Claudette Cardinal  1   2 , Jenny Li  2 , Lu Wang  2 , Rosa Balleny  1 , Alexandra de Pokomandy  3 , Mona Loutfy  4   5 , Angela Kaida  1   6 ; CHIWOS Research Team
Collaborators, Affiliations

Help-Seeking to Cope With Experiences of Violence Among Women Living With HIV in Canada

Rebecca Gormley et al. Violence Against Women. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Using baseline data from a community-collaborative cohort of women living with HIV in Canada, we assessed the prevalence and correlates of help-seeking among 1,057 women who reported experiencing violence in adulthood (≥16 years). After violence, 447 (42%) sought help, while 610 (58%) did not. Frequently accessed supports included health care providers (n = 313, 70%), family/friends (n = 244, 55%), and non-HIV community organizations (n = 235, 53%). All accessed supports were perceived as helpful. Independent correlates of help-seeking included reporting a previous mental health diagnosis, a history of injection drug use, experiencing childhood violence, and experiencing sexism. We discuss considerations for better supporting women who experience violence.

Keywords: CHIWOS; HIV; community-based research; help-seeking; violence; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Supports accessed by women living with HIV experiencing violence (n = 447) and the perceived helpfulness of supports accessed.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Perception of supports that might have been helpful in coping with experiences of violence, among women who did not seek help (n = 610).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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