Citation

Callands TA, Sipsma HL, Betancourt TS, Hansen NB. Cult. Health Sex. 2013; 15(6): 680-694.

Affiliation

a Department of Psychiatry , Yale School of Medicine , New Haven , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13691058.2013.779030

PMID

23586393

Abstract

Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) may be at elevated risk for poor sexual health outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This association, however, has not been consistently demonstrated in low-income or post-conflict countries. Furthermore, the role that attitudes towards IPV play in sexual-health outcomes and behaviour has rarely been examined. We examined associations between IPV experiences, accepting attitudes towards physical IPV, and sexual-health and behavioural outcomes among 592 young women in post-conflict Liberia. Participants' experiences with either moderate or severe physical violence or sexual violence were common. Additionally, accepting attitudes towards physical IPV were positively associated with reporting STI symptoms, IPV experiences and the ability to negotiate safe sex. Findings suggest that for sexual-health-promotion and risk-reduction-intervention efforts to achieve full impact, interventions must address the contextual influence of violence, including individual attitudes toward IPV.

Language: en