Partner abuse (PA) is a highly prevalent and devastating social phenomenon, extracting an economic toll of more than $8 billion annually in the United States due to lost productivity alone. Many of the risk factors for PA increase vulnerability to acquiring HIV as well, yet little research has explored these overlapping epidemics. In this systematic review, we examine the frequency of PA victimization from male partners among persons living with HIV-both men who have sex with men (MSM) and women. We located 31 manuscripts reporting data from 24 unique samples, indicating a high lifetime frequency (but large range) of estimates for women/MSM, respectively, for physical (26-62%/15-39%), sexual (22-44%/8-33%), and psychological abuse (55%/22-73%). Data indicate strong and consistent associations of PA with poor mental health, engagement in health risk behaviors, and nonadherence to HIV medication for both groups. We discuss implications for clinical practice as well as future research directions.
Keywords: interpersonal violence; men who have sex with men; partner abuse; systematic review; women.
Copyright © 2014 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.