Relationship Power, Sexual Decision Making and Condom Use Among Women at Risk for HIV/STDs

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Marie Harvey ◽  
Sheryl Thorburn Bird ◽  
Christine Galavotti ◽  
Ernestine A. W. Duncan ◽  
Donna Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Condom Use ◽  
Relationship Power ◽  
Sexual Decision Making

scholarly journals Tanzanian Couples’ Perspectives on Gender Equity, Relationship Power, and Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the RESPECT Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suneeta Krishnan ◽  
Divya Vohra ◽  
Damien de Walque ◽  
Carol Medlin ◽  
Rose Nathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Relationship Power ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Sexual Decision Making ◽  
The Relationship

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widely prevalent in Tanzania. Inequitable gender norms manifest in men’s and women’s attitudes about power and decision making in intimate relationships and are likely to play an important role in determining the prevalence of IPV. We used data from the RESPECT study, a randomized controlled trial that evaluated an intervention to prevent sexually transmitted infections in a cohort of young Tanzanian men and women, to examine the relationship between couples’ attitudes about IPV, relationship power, and sexual decision making, concordance on these issues, and women’s reports of IPV over 12 months. Women expressed less equitable attitudes than men at baseline. Over time, participants’ attitudes tended to become more equitable and women’s reports of IPV declined substantially. Multivariable logistic regression analyses suggested that inequitable attitudes and couple discordance were associated with higher risk of IPV. Our findings point to the need for a better understanding of the role that perceived or actual imbalances in relationship power have in heightening IPV risk. The decline in women’s reports of IPV and the trend towards gender-equitable attitudes indicate that concerted efforts to reduce IPV and promote gender equity have the potential to make a positive difference in the relatively short term.

Dyadic Intervention for Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention in Urban Adolescents and Young Adults (The SEXPERIENCE Study): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Trent ◽  
Hasiya Eihuri Yusuf ◽  
Pamela Matson ◽  
Julia Rowell ◽  
Jacquelin Toppins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Condom Use ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Relationship Dynamics ◽  
Communal Coping ◽  
Sti Prevention ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Sexual Decision Making

BACKGROUND Adolescents and young adults (AYA) less than 25 years of age have the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the United States. Current STI prevention strategies for AYA rely primarily on individual approaches, leaving sexual partners with significant unmet sexual and reproductive healthcare and health education needs. Dyadic interventions may hold promise for harnessing the power of communal coping within relationship dynamics to enhance sexual decision-making, communication, and behavior changes that reduce the future risk of STIs. OBJECTIVE This paper describes the protocol and research methods of a dyad-based behavioral intervention that augments individual evidence-based interventions with joint health education counseling for heterosexual AYA dyads within a primary care setting. The trial aims to improve partner communication and collaborative sexual decision making, and to promote the adoption of sexual behaviors such as consistent condom use. The primary objective of this study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a dyadic intervention targeted at preventing STIs in heterosexual couples in an urban setting. METHODS One hundred AYA (50 dyads) aged 16-25 years, engaged in heterosexual intercourse, who reside in the city, and are willing to recruit their main sexual partner for the study will be recruited and randomized into two groups; an intervention arm and a control arm. Participants will be recruited from an AYA Medicine Clinic and using social media (Facebook and Instagram). The index participant and partner will complete a single individual session separately (Sister to Sister / Focus on the Future) with a gender-matched health educator. Dyads will then be randomized to receive an additional joint debriefing session together to discuss relationship dynamics, condom negotiation etc. Participants will separately complete a telephone interview 6 weeks post intervention to determine the feasibility, acceptability and impact of the intervention on mutual sexual negotiation, consistency of condom use, communal coping skills, etc. RESULTS So far, 44 (25%) of 173 eligible participants have been enrolled and randomized. Participants are mostly females (90.9%), with at least a high school diploma (87%), and 9.0 average lifetime sexual partners. Acceptability is high, with 97.5% of participants expressing satisfaction with their study experience. 100% of dyads recruited were still together at 6-week follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study will add to the current literature on the approaches to STI prevention and its success will inform its application in risk reduction counselling for youth who are most at risk. CLINICALTRIAL Clinical Trials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03275168

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