Abstract
Research suggests that women’s experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with poor engagement in HIV care and treatment. However, most studies have been cross-sectional and conducted in North America. We examined the association between physical IPV and HIV care outcomes in a prospective cohort study of women living with HIV (WLHIV) in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. At enrollment, 15% of the 351 participants self-reported physical IPV. IPV experience was not associated with time to first engagement in HIV care or the proportion virally suppressed after 6 months on ART. Women reporting physical IPV were less likely to initiate ART within 6 months of becoming eligible (adjusted RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.53–1.03). IPV screening is critical to identify survivors and link them to appropriate services. However, addressing IPV may not increase engagement in HIV care or viral load suppression among WLHIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 984-989 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | AIDS and behavior |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2023 |
Keywords
- ART initiation
- HIV care continuum
- Intimate partner violence
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Viral suppression
- Women living with HIV
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases