227842 Predictors of Immigrant Latinas having Male Sex Partners Who are at Risk for HIV

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Evelyn Ullah, MSW , STD & HIV Prevention Program, Broward County Health Department, Ft Lauderdale, FL
Kira Villamizar, BS, MPH , Office of HIV/AIDS, Miami Dade County Health Department, Miami, FL
Martina de Varona, MPH , Office of HIV/AIDS, Miami Dade County Health Department, Miami, FL
Janelle Taveras, BS, MPH , Office of HIV/AIDS, Miami Dade County Health Department, Miami, FL
Delia Lang, PhD MPH , Rollins School of Public Health and Center for AIDS Research, Emory Univeristy, Atlanta, GA
Deja L. Er, MPH , Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Gina M. Wingood, MPH ScD , Rollins School of Public Health Department of Health Sciences and Behavioral Education, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Ralph DiClemente, PhD , Rollins School of Public Health and Center for AIDS Research, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Thomas M. Painter, PhD , Prevention Research Branch Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
JoAna Stallworth, PhD, MPH , Capacity Building Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, NCHHSTP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
David W. Purcell, JD, PhD , Prevention Research Branch Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Background: Latinas are nearly 3 times as likely to acquire HIV/AIDS as white women in the US. Although male sex partners' risk behaviors are associated with increased HIV infection risks among women in general, very few studies have examined why immigrant Latinas may have male sex partners who increase Latina's risks of HIV infection.

Methods: 212 Latinas, aged 18-44 years, completed ACASI interviews that assessed sociodemographics, acculturation, depressive symptoms, partner communication self-efficacy, and male partner characteristics.

Results: 50% reported sex during the previous 3 months with males whom they thought or suspected were infected with an STD, injected drugs, or had been incarcerated. Logistic regression analysis, controlling for level of education and immigration status, revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with having a male sex partner whose circumstances or behaviors increased Latina's HIV risks (AOR=1.05; p=.036). Those who were older and reported greater self-efficacy for partner communication were less likely to have partners at risk for HIV (AOR=.94; p=.032).

Conclusions: Results suggest that immigrant Latinas who report depressive symptoms may be more prone to engage in sexual relationships with male partners who are at increased risk of HIV, thereby increasing their own risks of HIV/STD acquisition. However, being older and having increased communication self-efficacy about condom use may reduce the likelihood of these high-risk relationships. A better understanding of why Latinas engage in high-risk heterosexual relationships is critical for developing culturally- and gender-appropriate strategies to support Latinas' effort to select male partners who are not at high-risk of HIV.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
• Identify depression among Latinas as a possible predictor of relationships with male partners at increased risk of HIV. • Identify partner communication self-efficacy and age among Latinas as possible protective factors against relationships with male partners at increased risk of HIV. • Identify determinants of Latinas’ relationships with high-HIV risk partners in efforts to better understand sexual risks among immigrant Latinas. • Discuss implications of the relationship between depression, partner communication self-efficacy, age and risky sexual partners among immigrant Latinas for the development of culturally-appropriate HIV prevention interventions.

Keywords: Latinas, HIV Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified because I collaborated on the design, implementation and evaluation of this research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.