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Sunday, November 1, 2009
Learning Objective 1: describe the possible consequences of sexual victimization on the HIV risk-taking behaviors and condom self-efficacy of women.
Learning Objective 2: explain the role of condom self-efficacy training in HIV prevention interventions for women.
Women constitute the fastest growing population of new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. From 1985 to 2005, the proportion of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases among women increased from 8% to 27%, with heterosexual contact accounting for 80% of new HIV diagnoses. Women with a history of sexual victimization are at an increased risk for contracting HIV due to higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse and a greater frequency of sexual risk-taking behaviors than their non-victimized counterparts. Behavioral HIV prevention interventions for women have become critical in the effort to curb HIV transmission. Many of these interventions include male condom skills training and promotion aimed at increasing condom use intentions and condom self-efficacy (CSE). In order to design and implement successful HIV prevention interventions for women survivors of sexual abuse, understanding the attitudes, personal histories, and social environments of these women is imperative. Overall, researchers agree that several factors, such as employment, income status, and age, have an effect on women’s CSE. While several studies have shown the success of HIV prevention interventions in women in general, few studies have specifically addressed the effects of HIV prevention interventions on the CSE of women with a history of sexual victimization. The purposes of this study are to explore the relationship between condom self-efficacy and sexual victimization in women and to determine if the Women First! HIV Prevention Intervention increases condom self-efficacy in women with a history of sexual victimization.