Women victims of intimate partner violence in the context of HIV infection in the city of Bogotá. Phase I, 2017

Abstract

To establish the prevalence and characteristics of violence against women living with human immunodeficiency virus infection and to explore factors associated with violence in an HIV care program in the city of Bogotá in 2017. Analytical cross-sectional study design that identified characteristics associated with violence against women living with HIV in the city of Bogotá. Of the 223 women surveyed, 33.6% (95%CI 27-40%) experienced intimate partner violence of any type, physical or non-physical, only physical violence 21.9% (95% CI 16-27%), and non-physical violence 31.8% (95% CI 26-38%). Non-physical partner violence was found to be related to being separated or in a consensual union (32.4 and 28.2%, respectively, p=0.000), to a nuclear family composition (42.3% p=0.041), or to 100% economic contribution of the woman in the household (33.8% p=0.001). On the other hand, physical violence is more frequent in separated women (46.9%, p=0.000), in couples with children (89.8%, p=0.042), in single-parent families (49%, p=0.000), in single women (42.9%, p=0.013), and in women who make 100% economic contribution at home (38.8%, p=38.8). The results related to intimate partner violence in these women suggest that screening should be done to detect violence as part of post-HIV counseling, and that violence should be addressed as a routine part of HIV treatment and care to improve the quality of life for women living with HIV.