INTERPERSONAL CONTEXT OF HIV RISK IN IMPOVERISHED WOMEN

描述(由调查员提供)：艾滋病毒/艾滋病是贫困、住房和无家可归妇女生活中的一个严重公共卫生问题。然而，艾滋病毒风险的决定因素和预防行为(例如，使用避孕套)在这一人群中并不完全清楚，尽管可能包括吸毒和性伴侣受害。为了更充分地了解艾滋病毒风险和预防行为的决定因素，必须了解贫困妇女发生这些行为的社会背景--一个可能涉及她们关系中的暴力和权力失衡的环境，这可能会削弱妇女保护自己免受艾滋病毒感染所需的自信和沟通技能。这项研究的目的是通过对作为“贫困妇女中的药物滥用、暴力和艾滋病毒/艾滋病研究”一部分收集的数据进行分析，促进对这些问题的研究知识，这是第一项在大量无家可归和贫困住房妇女样本中调查这些问题之间关系的研究。居住在洛杉矶县随机选择的无家可归者收容所和低收入住房单元的18-55岁的非洲裔、西班牙裔和非西班牙裔白人妇女接受了基线结构化访谈(N=898)和为期6个月的随访访谈(预期N=709)。这里提出的工作代表了研究小组成员的继续努力，并有以下具体目标：1)调查女性滥用药物和性伴侣受害的经历与她们参与艾滋病毒风险和预防行为的时间关联，并检查这些关联在多大程度上受到女性对其性关系的控制感和对艾滋病毒自我保护的自信的影响；2)确定女性与其男性伴侣使用避孕套的关系特征(如关系类型、时间长短和承诺)是否存在差异，并探索造成这些差异的原因；以及3)确定不同住房状况群体(有住房、无家可归)和种族/民族(非西班牙裔白人、非裔美国人、西班牙裔)在艾滋病毒风险和预防行为及其人际和个人内部决定因素方面的异同。

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): HIV/AIDS is a critical public health problem in the lives of impoverished housed and homeless women. However, the determinants of HIV risk and prevention behaviors (e.g., condom use) are not fully understood in this population, although likely include drug use and victimization by sexual partners. To more fully understand the determinants of HIV risk and prevention behaviors, it is imperative to understand the social context within which these behaviors occur for impoverished women-an environment potentially involving the experience of violence and power imbalances in their relationships that may erode the assertiveness and communication skills necessary for women to protect themselves from HIV. The goal of this study is to contribute to research knowledge of these issues by conducting analyses of data collected as part of the "Drug Abuse, Violence, and HIV/AIDS in Impoverished Women Study," the first study to investigate associations among these problems in sizable samples of homeless and impoverished housed women. African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white women between 18-55 years and residing in randomly selected homeless shelters and low-income housing units in Los Angeles County were administered a baseline structured interview (N = 898) and 6-month follow-up interview (anticipated N = 709). The work proposed here represents a continuation of effort by members of the research team, and has the following specific aims: 1) To investigate the temporal associations of women's experiences of drug abuse and victimization by sexual partners with their engagement in HIV risk and prevention behaviors, as well as examine the extent to which these associations are mediated by women's sense of control within their sexual relationships and assertiveness in HIV self-protection; 2) To determine whether women's use of condoms with their male partners differs by relationship characteristics (e.g., relationship type, length, and commitment) and explore reasons for these differences; and 3) To identify similarities and differences in HIV risk and prevention behaviors and their interpersonal and intrapersonal determinants across housing status groups (housed, homeless) and racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic white, African American, Hispanic).