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Intimate Partner Violence and HIV Risk: The Role of Cover-up, Shame and Fear

Alejandra Mijares, Laura F. Salazar, Nicole Pitts, & Rachael Wendlandt
Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA

Presentation

July 7, 2016
Shame and fear are associated with experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV)
  • Cover-up of IPV places women at an increased risk for HIV.
  • Cover-up may increase isolation and affect help-seeking behaviors making intervention efforts less likely.
  • Cover-up and isolation may contribute to an increase in negative coping strategies.
Interventions aimed at reducing HIV infection among women should address IPV:
  • Address shame and fear.
  • Reduce victim blaming, allow women to feel comfortable.
  • Stigma surrounding it.