IPV-HIV interrelated risks: A socioecological approach

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV are two major and interrelated public health epidemics adversely impacting women's health. Although an association between the epidemics has been identified, IPV and HIV assessment and intervention efforts often fail to recognize the intersection between the two epidemics with interventions addressing either IPV or HIV. Thus, intervention efforts have limited effectiveness as they ignore the life realities that influence women's interrelated IPV-HIV risk factors and/or behaviors.

Description: The purpose of this presentation is to describe an IPV-HIV socio-ecological model (SEM) that assists in understanding and identifying women's interrelated IPV-HIV risk factors and corresponding points of intervention to prevent or reduce women's IPV-HIV risk and enhance their health and well-being. The use of a SEM assists in the understanding of how women live and function within multi-levels of influence. The levels of influence are: 1) individual (biology, genetics, personal history), 2) interpersonal (family, friends, social networks), 3) community (neighborhoods), and 4) societal (local, state, national laws/policies).

Lessons Learned: A SEM approach supports a public health perspective that recognizes women's interrelated IPV-HIV risk, focuses on the social/environmental levels of influence that create and/or perpetrate the conditions that foster women's increased risk of IPV-HIV, and acknowledges that women's behavior/behavior changes are contextually driven.

Recommendations: Increased awareness of the interrelation of IPV-HIV among women's health care providers, development of protocols for IPV-HIV assessment and intervention, and cross training of staff to assess and intervene for both public health epidemics will enhance the health and well-being of women.