ABSTRACT

Childhood abuse has been linked to problematic drinking in adulthood. It is also documented that people living with HIV have higher rates of alcohol use than the general population. In Haiti, a total of 25% of women living with HIV have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA), which puts them at an increased risk for alcohol abuse. CSA has also been associated with anxiety disorders in adulthood. Therefore, it is critical to understand the relationship between CSA, anxiety, and alcohol use among women living with HIV. A total of 244 women living with HIV participated in this study, with 35% reporting CSA. Alcohol abuse was measured with the AUDIT, anxiety with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory test, and sexual abuse with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Compared to participants who did not experience childhood sexual abuse, participants who experienced childhood sexual abuse reported greater levels of alcohol use [(17.0, SD = 9.1) (11.9, SD = 8.6) p =.001] and anxiety [(55.8, SD = 9.8) (48.9 SD = 8.3) p =.001] respectively. The indirect effect of anxiety on the association between CSA and alcohol use was significant [(ß =.19 p =.05) 95% bootstrap CI.019 –.13] Thus, women who reported being sexually abused as children reported anxiety, which in turn, was associated with an increased risk for alcohol abuse. Results demonstrate that alcohol may be used as a negative coping mechanism to alleviate anxiety symptoms triggered by CSA. These findings elucidate the need for further research examining the impact that sexual trauma has on mental health.

摘要

童年虐待与成年后酗酒有关。据记载，艾滋病毒感染者的饮酒率高于一般人群。在海地，共有 25% 的艾滋病毒感染妇女经历过童年性虐待 (CSA)，这使她们面临更高的酗酒风险。CSA 也与成年期的焦虑症有关。因此，了解感染 HIV 的女性的 CSA、焦虑和饮酒之间的关系至关重要。共有 244 名感染 HIV 的女性参与了这项研究，其中 35% 报告了 CSA。酗酒是用 AUDIT 来衡量的，焦虑是用状态-特质焦虑量表测试来衡量的，性虐待是用童年创伤问卷来衡量的。与没有经历过童年性虐待的参与者相比，p =.001] 和焦虑 [(55.8, SD = 9.8) (48.9 SD = 8.3) p =.001]。焦虑对 CSA 与饮酒之间关联的间接影响是显着的 [(ß =.19 p =.05) 95% bootstrap CI.019 –.13]反过来，与酗酒风险增加有关。结果表明，酒精可以作为一种消极应对机制来缓解 CSA 引发的焦虑症状。这些发现表明需要进一步研究性创伤对心理健康的影响。