New research raises the question of a link between childhood sexual abuse and a higher risk for HIV/AIDS.
The study, conducted by Drexel University, tracked 40,000 people, including a significant number of blacks and Hispanics. The data suggests that not only was childhood sexual abuse linked to risky sexual behavior as an adolescent or adult, but could also impact getting tested, diagnosed and starting treatment once infected with HIV.
According to Dr. Theresa Sweet, one of the study authors at the Drexel University School of Public Health, “childhood sexual abuse was defined as being touched or fondled in a sexual way, [or] forced or attempted sexual intercourse before the age of 17.”
Data from the Black Women’s Health Imperative has long pointed to high rates of sexual abuse in the black community. It shows that 40 percent of black women have experienced some form of sexual assault or abuse.
“This study is not designed to further stigmatize men and women who experienced some form of sexual abuse or violence, nor is it a suggestion that all people living with HIV were previously abused,” Sweet says.
“We don’t really know why some people who are abused fair better than others, but we do know that some people who can talk about what happened to them and have a support system, whether it be family, mental health support seem to [do] better,” she adds.
And, many black men and women who were sexually abused never report it, according to Dr. Gail Wyatt, a clinical psychologist, sex therapist and professor of psychiatry at UCLA.
While there have been advances in reducing HIV across the country, the number of new infections among blacks remains high. There were 50,000 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States.
The highest rate of both new and existing infections is highest among black gay and bisexual men – nearly 50 percent of all new diagnoses.
Black women make up 60 percent of all women living with HIV/AIDS. Among heterosexual women, the risks for contracting a sexually transmitted disease –including HIV/AIDS – following sexual abuse or in young adulthood are also increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
With these numbers of new HIV/AIDS infections among Blacks at epidemic levels, groups of policymakers, activists and advocates attended AIDS 2012 – an International AIDS Conference – and strategized last week on creating an AIDS-free generation both in the United States and around the world.
Sweet says research into behavior and underlying impacts have the potential to help scientists and advocates understand what kind of behavioral interventions will help reduce the rates of infection in communities of color. But, she adds that all of the data needs to be further analyzed. Sweet also cautions against making broad generalizations based on her research.
“It in no way means that childhood sexual abuse drives sexual orientation, especially among black men who have sex with men.”
Sweet’s study slightly contradicts the research of Greg Millett, a senior scientist at the CDC and the CDC Liaison to the White House Office on AIDS Policy. Millett says, “there is nothing in the data that shows blacks are more promiscuous or more likely to take more risks than their White [men who have sex with men] counterparts.”
He points to Washington, D.C., which has some of the highest rates of HIV in the nation. According to Millett, there are predominately-black zip codes within the city that have rates equal to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Researchers and activists alike understand that there is no one factor that defines why black America is hit hardest by the epidemic. But, many agree that the more information that can be gathered, the more it will help reach a true AIDS-free generation in the black community.
The findings were presented at AIDS 2012 and appeared in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency.
Andrea King Collier is a multimedia health journalist and lead author of the Black Woman’s Guide to Black Men’s Health.