Safer Sex Self-Efficacy Among Women With Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence

Bearing (Aguantando) With Intimate Partner Violence: A Grounded Theory Study of Self-Silencing Among Hispanic Women Who Experienced Intimate Partner Violence

Hispanic women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) face unique disparities. They have poorer health outcomes and are less likely to seek help than their non-Hispanic counterparts. When women remain in relationships where IPV occurs and refuse to disclose or seek treatment, they may resort to self-silencing, which can also worsen health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop a theory that explains how self-silencing evolves among Hispanic women who experience IPV. Participants were recruited from two research studies focused on Hispanic women's health, and from snowball sampling, which involved referrals by previously registered participants. Data were collected via Zoom® and included individual interviews. A total of 25 women participated in this study. Analysis followed constructive grounded theory levels of analysis described by Charmaz and constant comparative methods described by Glaser and Strauss. A grounded theory entitled Bearing (Aguantando) With Intimate Partner Violence emerged from the data. The theory explains the main strategy Hispanic women use to deal with violence while remaining in a relationship where IPV occurs. The theory is constructed of four categories with subcategories. The results of this study provide an initial framework to understand the self-silencing process among Hispanic women who experience IPV. In addition, this study identifies different levels of interventions that can be useful for researchers and healthcare providers to promote Hispanic women's ability to become empowered, use their voices, and seek help.

The Associations of Mental Health Disturbances, Self-Esteem, and Partner Violence Victimization with Condom Use in Spanish Adolescents

Risky sexual behaviors, such as not using a condom for preventing sexually transmittable diseases and unwanted pregnancies, are associated with emotional and psychological problems in adolescence, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem. Adolescents with a history of violence victimization are also at increased risk of engaging in sexual risk behaviors. In this study, we examined the associations between mental health disturbances and partner violence victimization and the non-use of condoms among young people in Spain. We also examined self-esteem as a mediator of mental health problems and unprotected sexual relationships. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 831 adolescents randomly selected from 25 high schools in Spain. From the initial sample, 285 students (144 men and 141 women) from high schools in Alicante (Spain) who reported having experienced sexual activity with at least one partner were approached. The results showed that one in three adolescents between 14 and 19 years old did not use condoms during sexual intercourse. The factors associated with the non-use of condoms in the estimated models of Poisson robust variance were having a history of physical, psychological, or sexual violence; having been expelled from school because of behavioral problems; and having higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and lower levels of self-esteem. Self-esteem was independently associated with the non-use of condoms. Having lower levels of self-esteem increased the risk of not using a condom during participants’ last sexual intercourse. These findings suggest the importance of developing public health strategies for mental health promotion to increase condom use among adolescents.