Citation

Alexander KA. Rev. Lat. Am. Enfermagem 2020; 28: e3280.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo)

DOI

10.1590/1518-8345.0000.3280

PMID

32520238

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV/AIDS affect the lives of millions of women across the globe, limiting life expectancy and quality of life. One in three women are affected by IPV. In 2018, worldwide, almost 40 million people were living with HIV. IPV experiences exacerbate risks for HIV/AIDS because people have limited ability to negotiate safe sex, are less likely to use condoms, and are often partnered with people who are engaged in risky behaviors such as drug use and condom-less sexual activity with partners that overlap in time(1). People who are living with HIV (LWH) can experience accelerated disease progression if exposed to IPV, particularly if their partner uses control to interfere with taking life-saving HIV medications or forces sexual activity(2). Unfortunately, IPV and HIV/AIDS disproportionately affect people of the global majority (PGM; also known as people of color) and persons living in poverty.

People with greatest vulnerabilities to IPV and HIV/AIDS are often described by their race, ethnicity, and skin color, perhaps perpetuating false biological or physiological links to disease outcomes. Alternatively, social determinants of health, the conditions in which PGM develop and sustain romantic and sexual relationships, heavily influence transmission of HIV/AIDS and exposure to IPV(3). In this editorial, I offer comments on ways in which two social determinants of health - poverty and diminished gender power are complex constructs through which to interrogate our use of race and gender as intersectional variables in research about these intersecting health epidemics. As an exemplar, I will discuss the impact of HIV/AIDS and IPV on the health of Black women in the U.S.

Despite recent successes in curbing new HIV infections, Black women in the U.S. continue to experience disproportionate effects to health. Almost one-fifth of new HIV infections are Black women and about one in two Black women LWH are affected by IPV. Additionally, about one-quarter of Black women LWH in the U.S. are not engaged in HIV care, and thus also experience poor HIV treatment outcomes ...

Language: en