Disability Among Women Workers and the Role of Social Support Systems

The study examined factors affecting return to work following a short-term disability and measured the relationship between social support and the subject's well-being status, emphasizing the role of the social support system. Subjects are 185 female city workers, members of District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, and recently either physically or mentally disabled. They are entitled to a maximum of six-months short-term disability benefits. Data, collected through a structured telephone interview, included the Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (ASSIS), modified to the type of event (short-term disability), population (female), to measure perceived social support, and the General Well-Being Schedule to measure subjects' well-being. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were utilized. Six variables predicted length of unemployment: (1) severity of illness; (2) general well-being; (3) type of disability (physical or mental); (4) quality of support from immediate family; (5) job tenure; and (6) perceived financial stress. None of the work social support variables were statistically significant in predicting length of unemployment. A relationship between social support and well-being was found. Four variables predicted the subject's well-being status: (1) perceived financial stress; (2) job satisfaction; (3) quality of support from family; and (4) quality of support from friends. Mentally disabled subjects remained longer on short-term disability than the physically disabled and a higher percentage were unemployed at the end of the six-month short-term disability, implying that they are at a greater risk of leaving the labor force. Findings are consistent with existing research on the role of social support in promoting well-being and return to work, as well as identification of critical risk factors for leaving the labor force. These have critical implications for social work practice and policy, in general, and in union settings

Considering HIV Risk and Intimate Partner Violence Among Older Women of Color: A Descriptive Analysis

This study describes the types of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual HIV-risk factors reported by a sample of 139 African American and Latina women ages 50 and older receiving care in outpatient clinics of an urban medical center. Additionally, we obtained estimates of the associations between experiencing IPV in a primary heterosexual relationship and the following HIV-risk behaviors among our sample of older minority women: (a) having multiple sexual partners, (b) STD history, (c) partner-related risk (i.e., having a partner who has multiple sexual partners, is HIV-infected, injecting drugs, and/or has an STD), and (d) self-perception of risk for HIV infection. Results indicate that many of these women are engaged in sexual risk behaviors, and such behaviors are associated with increased likelihood of IPV for this cohort. Implications for health care professionals are discussed

Psychological Distress and Intimate Physical and Sexual Abuse among Women in Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs

Guided by the cognitive theory of stress and coping and the comprehensive health“seeking and coping paradigm, this study examines associations among intimate partner abuse and psychological distress, posttraumatic stress disorder, childhood sexual abuse, and current drug use among a cohort of 416 women randomly recruited from New York City methadone treatment programs. Findings expand on past evidence of the high prevalence of psychological distress among adult victimized women and among those with a history of childhood sexual abuse. Women currently abused by their partners have more posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, and psychological distress than women not abused by their partners

Rejection Sensitivity, Perceived Power, and HIV Risk in the Relationships of Low-Income Urban Women

The psychological processes associated with HIV infection in long-term relationships differ from those operative in casual sexual encounters, and relatively little research has considered the aspects of personality applicable in the ongoing heterosexual relationships in which women are at greatest risk. Sensitivity to rejection has been linked with efforts to prevent rejection at a cost to the self and, therefore, may be relevant to the health risks that many women incur in relationships. We examined the association of rejection sensitivity with women\u27s sexual risk behavior in a sample of women at heightened risk for HIV exposure. Women in long-term heterosexual relationships (N = 159) were recruited for study participation in the hospital emergency room serving a low-income neighborhood in New York City, in 2001-2003. Rejection sensitivity and known HIV risk factors were assessed using verbally administered questionnaires. Rejection sensitivity was associated with lower perceived relationship power and, in turn, more frequent unprotected sex with a partner perceived to be at risk for HIV. These results held when controlling for other HIV risk factors including partner violence, economic dependence, and substance use. Understanding the association of rejection concerns with lower perceived personal power in relationships may be important for HIV prevention

Drug use and sexual behavior of indigent African American men

A total of 108 African American men in a free lunch program with histories of drug abuse were surveyed to determine the relationships among drug use, sexual activity, AIDS prevention practices, and perceived risk of AIDS. Of the 108, 69.5 percent were homeless and only 12 percent were currently receiving drug abuse treatment. More than half of the participants had injected drugs, and 38 percent had shared needles. Among the 80 percent who were sexually active, 40 percent reported using condoms every time they had sex. Respondents in monogamous relationships tended to use condoms less frequently. Those who shared needles were more likely to have sex with IV drug users and had more sexual partners. Respondents who used crack used condoms less frequently. Those with multiple partners were more likely to engage in anal intercourse. Three-quarters perceived themselves at risk of AIDS

Designing Effective HIV Prevention Strategies for Female Street Sex Workers

Homelessness, rape, partner abuse and other violent events associated with psychological distress are common occurrences in the lives of street sex workers and have not been considered in their impact on developing HIV prevention programs. Feelings of stigmatization due to the nature and illegal status of the occupation are likely to contribute to significant psychological distress. Psychological distress and drug dependency may, in turn, undermine the motivation and ability of sex workers to adopt safer sex behavior. Most HIV programs targeted to this population tend to ignore the multiple factors that are associated with sex work. Mental health and other basic services such as drug abuse treatment, public assistance, housing, education, and training for alternative employment are not integrated into HIV prevention approaches. Moreover, most HIV prevention programs for female sex workers are not culturally sensitive and fail to involve sex workers in designing an intervention reflective of the community's unique needs or infrastructure

15-month followup of women methadone patients taught skills to reduce heterosexual HIV transmission

Heterosexual contact with intravenous drug users accounts for a growing proportion of cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among women. In an earlier study designed to reduce sexual risk behavior, the authors randomly assigned 91 methadone maintained women to information-only or skills-building conditions. Modest outcomes favored participants in the skills-building group. In this 15-month followup of 62 remaining study participants, skills-training group members were more likely than controls to use condoms. In comparison with controls, members in the skills-building group felt more comfortable talking about safe sex, perceived themselves as more able to reduce their exposure to AIDS, but were more likely to attribute AIDS risk to luck. No associations were found between group condition and number of sexual partners or frequency of buying and carrying condoms. Some gains associated with a group intervention tended to be maintained over time, indicating that preventive interventions composed of multiple sessions and conducted in treatment settings may have promise as useful strategies to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Nevertheless, decay was evident in other domains, suggesting that prevention specialists should consider booster sessions or other means of maintaining changes in risk behavior

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Risk Behaviors Among Men at High Risk for HIV Infection

Objectives: This study examined the association between unwanted sexual activity during childhood and risky behaviors among a sample of predominantly African American and Hispanic men. Methods: Data were obtained from baseline interviews completed by 2676 men enrolled in a multisite HIV prevention trial. Results: Approximately 25% of the men reported unwanted or uninvited sexual activity before 13 years of age, with Hispanic men more likely than African American men to report unwanted sexual activity during childhood. Men with a history of unwanted sexual activity during childhood were more likely to report unwanted sexual activity since age 13, the buying and selling of sex, problems with alcohol, and drug use. Men who reported unwanted sexual activity during childhood also reported a significantly greater frequency of unprotected sexual acts and more partners. Conclusions: Among men at high risk for HIV infection, unwanted sexual activity during childhood is more widespread than previously described and can increase the risk of participating in harmful health practices during adulthood, including risky sexual behaviors

Intimate Partner Violence and HIV Among Drug-Involved Women: Contexts Linking These Two Epidemics—Challenges and Implications for Prevention and Treatment

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV are two serious overlapping public health epidemics that disproportionately affect drug-involved women. This article reviews research that has identified a number of contexts that may explain the links between IPV and HIV transmission risks. These contexts include sexual coercion, fear of violence, negotiation of condom use, extra dyadic relationships, disclosure of sexually transmitted infections or HIV seropositivity to intimate partners, drug involvement of women and their male partners, low social status of drug-involved women, relationship dependencies, and sex ratio imbalances. The article focuses on how the bidirectional relationship between IPV and HIV risks may be mediated by a history of childhood sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. Also addressed are the challenges that substance user treatment programs face in dealing with female clients who experience IPV and the implications for HIV prevention

Predictors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Knowledge among Jordanian Youths

Objectives: Understanding factors associated with the level of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) knowledge acquisition is crucial to inform preventative programmes for young people. This study examines predictors of HIV knowledge among Jordanian youths. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 8,129 youths aged between 14 and 25 years randomly selected from schools representing each of the 12 governorates of Jordan. A total of 50% of respondents were female and, on average, 17 years old. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, gender awareness, exposure to and favourable attitudes toward risky behaviours. Results: On a 13-item HIV knowledge test, participants answered an average of 7 questions correctly (mean = 7.21; standard deviation = 2.63). Female respondents from rural areas demonstrated significantly lower levels of HIV knowledge, while college and university students demonstrated higher levels. HIV knowledge differed significantly by sources of information, with peeracquired information associated with more accuracy, while HIV information from parents or health centres was associated with a lower score. Youths with more egalitarian gender views also demonstrated higher knowledge levels, whereas youths approving of drug use showed lower levels of HIV knowledge. Conclusion: HIV education programmes in Jordan should focus on females and youths living in rural areas. Educational institutions have been shown to be effective in providing accurate information to students, while parents and health professionals should also be included in HIV prevention programmes in order to reduce misconceptions and raise the level of HIV knowledge among Jordanian youths