HIV and STI Prevention Among Spanish Women Who have Sex with Women: Factors Associated with Dental Dam and Condom Use.
María Dolores Gil-LlarioVicente Morell-MengualMarta García-BarbaJuan Enrique Nebot-GarcíaRafael Ballester-ArnalPublished in: AIDS and behavior (2022)
The scientific community has systematically ignored the needs of women who have sex with women (WSW). The invisibilization of romantic and sexual relationships between women has caused a profound lack of knowledge about the impact of HIV and other STIs on this population subgroup. This study aims to analyze the frequency of dental dam and condom use in WSW and identify the variables that explain the use of these two preventive methods. The sample is composed of 327 women aged between 18 and 60 years (M = 27.82; SD = 8.10). The results indicate that only 4.7% of those who practice cunnilingus and 5.2% of those who practice anilingus report "always" using dental dam (systematic use). Condoms are used systematically by 37.1% of those who practice vaginal penetration and 37.8% of those who practice anal penetration. Age, high perceived self-efficacy, and adequate assertive communication skills are variables significantly related to preventive behavior. The severity attributed to HIV and the perceived risk of infection are protective factors regarding dental dam use. For condom use, high levels of internalized homophobia and drug use are risk factors. Future preventive strategies should provide information on preventive strategies to WSW who, for different reasons, are not involved in LGBT contexts or associations and, therefore, do not have access to training activities and mistakenly believe that they are invulnerable as they do not have sexual relations with men.
Keyphrases
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- men who have sex with men
- healthcare
- hiv positive
- hiv testing
- primary care
- antiretroviral therapy
- pregnancy outcomes
- mental health
- risk factors
- cervical cancer screening
- hiv infected
- hepatitis c virus
- oral health
- depressive symptoms
- hiv aids
- clinical trial
- physical activity
- type diabetes
- randomized controlled trial
- autism spectrum disorder
- south africa
- intellectual disability