Childhood Sexual Abuse in a Population of Patients Living With HIV: Prevalence and Impact

A wealth of evidence has found high rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the overall population of people living with HIV infection (PLWH; Mugavero et  al., 2007; Whetten et al., 2006). The rates of CSA in PLWH are estimated at 30% to 53% (Willie et al., 2016). There is also evidence that PLWH are disproportionately affected by trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (Sherr et al., 2011; Wyatt, Myers,& Loeb, 2004). Childhood sexual abuse and trauma are inextricably linked, and the impact of trauma on the lives of PLWH is profound: their outcomes are poor (Mahtinger, Wilson, Herberer& Weiss, 2012b) and they are likely to be nonadherent (Mahtinger et  al., 2012b).

Source: Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care - December 13, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Jane McCall, Patricia Lauridsen-Hoegh, Dave Unger, J. Craig Phillips, Julie Kille Tags: Research Brief Source Type: research