Gender-Specific Jealousy and Infidelity Norms as Sources of Sexual Health Risk and Violence among Young Coupled Nicaraguans

Gender inequity negatively affects health in Central America. In 2011, we conducted 60 semistructured interviews and 12 photovoice focus groups with young coupled men and women in León, Nicaragua, to explore the ways in which social norms around marriage and gender affect sexual health and gender-based violence. 

Participants' depictions of their experiences revealed gendered norms around infidelity that provided a narrative to justify male expressions of jealousy, which included limiting partner autonomy, sexual coercion, and physical violence against women, and resulted in increased women's risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. 

By understanding and taking account of these different narratives and normalized beliefs in developing health- and gender-based violence interventions, such programs might be more effective in promoting gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors among young men and women in Nicaragua.

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By:  Boyce S1, Zeledón P1, Tellez E1, Barrington C1.

• 1At the time of the study, Sabrina Boyce was a US Fulbright fellow in León, Nicaragua. Perla Zeledón and Ever Tellez were with el Centro de Investigación e Intervenciones en Salud, León, Nicaragua. Clare Barrington was with the Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 
• Am J Public Health. 2016 Feb 18:e1-e8.

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Sexual Health Risks & Health-Seeking Behaviours among Substance-Misusing Women

AIMS:

To report on a survey of sexual health service needs among substance-misusing women attending a substance misuse service.

BACKGROUND:

Substance-misusing women carry a disproportionate burden of sexual ill health, yet the range and frequency of their sexual health risks, morbidities and service engagement are poorly understood.

DESIGN:

A cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of substance-misusing women attending a substance misuse service.

METHODS:

From 4 April 2010-17 September 2010, substance-misusing women in Hastings & Ore, UK, were invited to complete a paper questionnaire addressing: drug use; cervical cytology, sexually transmitted infection and HIV screening history; pregnancy history, perceived pregnancy risk and contraceptive advice and supply; sexual activity and assault. Of 91 respondents, 77 attended local drug treatment services - results comprise analysis of this sub-sample.

RESULTS:

The study sample was characterized by long-term opioid and crack cocaine use. Of 53% sexually active in the previous 4 weeks, 66% perceived they had experienced sexual intercourse that could lead to pregnancy during that time. Fifty-five per cent had been forced to have sex against their will during their lifetime. High rates of sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy termination, miscarriage and abnormal cervical cytology were reported.

CONCLUSIONS:

Findings indicate the need to recognize the breadth of elevated sexual health risks and morbidities experienced by substance-misusing women with long-term opioid/crack use, including those not identifying as intravenous drug users. Poor recall of drop-in and appointment times, reluctance to disclose substance misuse and likelihood of previous sexual assault present significant challenges to nurses, who must take a sensitive, opportunistic approach to referral and provision of sexual health interventions to substance-misusing women.

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By:   Edelman NL¹, Patel H, Glasper A, Bogen-Johnston L.

¹Centre for Health Research, University of Brighton, Falmer, UK.

J Adv Nurs. 2014 Dec;70(12):2861-70. doi: 10.1111/jan.12442. Epub 2014 May 7. 

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Monogamy, the Protective Fallacy: Sexual vs Emotional Exclusivity & the Implication for Sexual Health Risk

The authors examined the hypothesis that many individuals define monogamy based on emotional rather than sexual fidelity. 

Participants, 373 heterosexual college students and 282 gay men, read three vignettes of decreasing mitigation in which they imagined committing an act of infidelity against a hypothetical partner and where half the participants were cued to their emotional attachment toward the partner. 

Despite the infidelity, relationships in the emotional attachment-cued vignettes were rated as monogamous to a greater degree than relationships in the vignettes where emotional attachment was not cued. In addition, over one-third of the participants in our study reported infidelity in their current self-defined monogamous relationships yet also reported feeling more protected from sexual health risks and reported less condom use than individuals who defined their relationship as nonmonogamous. The implications for monogamy as a protective fallacy are discussed.

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