Lifetime Sexual Assault and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Women Veterans

Details

• Personal Author:
  Booth BM ; Goyal V ; Mengeling MA ; Sadler AG ; Syrop CH ; Torner JC
• Description:
  Objective: Women veterans report a high prevalence of sexual assault. Unfortunately, there are limited data on the reproductive health sequelae faced by these women. Our objective was to evaluate the association between completed lifetime sexual assault (LSA) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among a cohort of women veterans, adjusting for sexual risk behaviors. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study among women veterans aged 51 years or younger who enrolled for care at two Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare sites between 2000 and 2008. Participants completed a telephone interview assessing reproductive health and sexual violence history. We compared the frequencies of past STI diagnoses among those who had and had not experienced LSA. We used logistic regression to assess the effect of sexual assault with history of an STI diagnosis after adjusting for age, sexual risk behaviors, and substance abuse treatment. Results: Among 996 women veterans, a history of STIs was reported by 32%, including a lifetime history of gonorrhea (5%), chlamydia (15%), genital herpes infection (8%), and human papillomavirus infection (15%), not mutually exclusive; 51% reported LSA. Women with a history of LSA were significantly more likely to report a history of STIs (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45-2.50; adjusted OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.07-2.08). Conclusions: Women veterans who have experienced LSA are at increased risk for lifetime STI diagnoses. To adequately address the reproductive health needs of the growing population of women veterans, STI risk assessments should include queries of military service and LSA histories. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Behavior Cohort Studies Communicable Diseases Diagnosis Longevity Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Substance-Related Disorders Surveys And Questionnaires Urogenital System Violence Women

  More +
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Assaults Author Keywords: Sexual Risk Veteran Clinical Diagnosis Cohort Studies Health Surveys Infectious Diseases Lifespan Military Personnel Regression Analysis Reproductive Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Sexual Assault Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually Transmitted Infection STDs Substance Abuse

  More +
• ISSN:
  1540-9996
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Arkansas ; Iowa ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 7 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  26
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051830
• Citation:
  J Womens Health 2017 Jul; 26(7):745-754
• Contact Point Address:
  Vinita Goyal, MD, MPH, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard, San Antonio, TX 78229
• Email:
  vinitagoyalmd@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Women's Health
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9b61e7377e8be6c5ea8a4c825092a63915e12b8794e6a20be083c1b2d77a46cc68a74fd8230d6371997a237caea1b56a158997c3eefa2616106ff670df32e6f7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211554/cdc_211554_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 388.02 KB ]