Citation

Distefano AS, Gill JK, Hubach RD, Cayetano RT, Hilbert CJ. J. Behav. Med. 2013; 37(5): 1030-1046.

Affiliation

Department of Health Science, California State University, Fullerton, 800 North State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA, 92831, USA, adistefano@fullerton.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10865-013-9540-7

PMID

24043406

Abstract

Associations linking HIV infection to violence and abuse are well documented; however, little is known about how violence/abuse is related to HIV testing behavior, particularly among undergraduate university students, who test at lower rates compared to non-student peers in the United States. We assessed history of HIV testing in an ethnically diverse sample of undergraduates in California (n = 1,210); and examined potential associations between testing and various forms of violence/abuse, while controlling for covariates. Whereas 73.4 % of students were sexually active in the past year, only 26.3 % had ever tested for HIV. At the bivariate level, testing was associated with experiencing verbal abuse and sexual violence/coercion, and perpetrating verbal abuse. Experiencing verbal abuse remained significant in multivariate analysis. We discuss findings in a syndemics framework, considered in combination with social psychology-based health behavior theories. Enhanced HIV testing scale-up initiatives for undergraduates are needed and should consider integration with violence prevention programs.

Language: en