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Intimate partner violence in women living with HIV attending an inner city clinic in the UK : prevalence and associated factors
Author(s) -
Dhairyawan R,
Tariq S,
Scourse R,
Coyne KM
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
hiv medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.53
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1468-1293
pISSN - 1464-2662
DOI - 10.1111/hiv.12009
Subject(s) - medicine , domestic violence , confidence interval , demography , odds ratio , logistic regression , ethnic group , cross sectional study , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , poison control , suicide prevention , environmental health , family medicine , pathology , sociology , anthropology
Objectives Studies have shown high rates of intimate partner violence ( IPV ) in women living with HIV , but data from the UK are lacking. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of IPV and identify associated factors in women attending our inner London HIV clinic. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional study of women attending our HIV clinic in M ay to D ecember 2011. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire and exposure to IPV was ascertained using a validated tool. Clinical data were collected from patient records. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate adjusted odds ratios ( AORs ). Results This analysis was based on 191 women with available data on IPV . The median age of women was 38 years (range 21−71 years); 74.1% were African‐born Black. Over half (99 of 191; 52%) reported experiencing IPV in their lifetime, with 27 of 191 (14.1%) reporting IPV within the past year and 27 of 191 (14.1%) reporting it in pregnancy. Lifetime experience of IPV was associated with mental health problems [ AOR 3.44; 95% confidence interval ( CI ) 1.24−9.57; P < 0.05] and ‘other’ Black (born outside sub‐Saharan A frica) ethnicity ( AOR 4.63; 95% CI 1.06–20.11; P < 0.05). We also found an association between older age and decreased likelihood of lifetime IPV ( AOR 0.92; 95% CI 0.86–0.97; P < 0.05). Conclusions Over half of the women in this study reported lifetime experience of IPV . We found associations between IPV and mental health problems, younger age and other Black ethnicity. In view of its high prevalence, we advocate greater awareness of IPV among HIV healthcare professionals and recommend universal screening.