Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sexual Anxiety Among Women Living with HIV in the Era of Antiretroviral Treatment Suppressing HIV Transmission
AU - on behalf of the CHIWOS Research Team
AU - Carter, Allison
AU - Patterson, Sophie
AU - Kestler, Mary
AU - de Pokomandy, Alexandra
AU - Hankins, Catherine
AU - Gormley, Becky
AU - Nicholson, Valerie
AU - Lee, Melanie
AU - Wang, Lu
AU - Greene, Saara
AU - Loutfy, Mona
AU - Kaida, Angela
AU - Abdul-Noor, Rahma
AU - Anema, Aranka
AU - Angel, Jonathan
AU - Baril, QC Jean Guy
AU - Barry, Fatimatou
AU - Bauer, Greta
AU - Beaver, Kerrigan
AU - Becker, Denise
AU - Benoit, Anita
AU - Brophy, Jason
AU - Brotto, Lori
AU - Burchell, Ann
AU - Cardinal, Claudette
AU - Carter, Allison
AU - Cescon, Angela
AU - Cioppa, Lynne
AU - Cohen, Jeffrey
AU - Colley, Guillaume
AU - Conway, Tracey
AU - Cooper, Curtis
AU - Cotnam, Jasmine
AU - Cousineau, Janette
AU - Dayle, Janice
AU - Desbiens, Marisol
AU - Dubinsky, Hania
AU - Dubuc, Danièle
AU - Duddy, Janice
AU - Gagnier, Brenda
AU - Gahagan, Jacqueline
AU - Gasingirwa, Claudine
AU - Gataric, Nada
AU - Hart, Trevor
AU - Hogg, Bob
AU - Howard, Terry
AU - Islam, Shazia
AU - Jones, Evin
AU - Kaushic, Charu
AU - Keating, Alexandria
PY - 2020/12/1
Y1 - 2020/12/1
N2 - Introduction: Sustained undetectable viral loads (UDVLs) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) eliminate sexual HIV transmission. We measured prevalence and correlates of sexual anxiety among women living with HIV. Methods: We used questionnaire data collected between August 2013 and May 2015 from 1422 women ≥ 16 years in the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study. Among women reporting consensual sex in the past month (n = 474), we determined the proportion who reported high anxiety (“always/usually became anxious or inhibited during sexual activity with a partner”), low anxiety (“sometimes/seldom”), and no anxiety. Logistic regression identified medical, psychological, relational, and social correlates, including awareness of ART prevention benefits (i.e., “makes the risk of transmitting HIV a lot lower”). Results: Cohort diversity is reflected in age (range 17–66; median 39), gender (5.7% trans), ethnicity (41.6% White, 24.5% Indigenous, 27.0% African/Caribbean/Black), sexual orientation (14.2% lesbian/queer), and time living with HIV (range 18 days–30 years.). Overall, 58.6% reported feeling no sexual anxiety, while the remainder said that they always/usually (14.6%) or sometimes/seldom (26.8%) became anxious or inhibited during sex. Current sex work, previous illicit drug use, and depression were associated with higher adjusted odds of sexual anxiety, while greater emotional closeness and more equitable relationship power were associated with lower odds. There was no correlation between awareness of ART prevention benefits and sexual anxiety. Conclusions: Relatively few women reported high anxiety during sex with a partner. This was more socially and relationally influenced than linked to understanding ART prevention benefits. Policy Implications: Women living with HIV should be supported to have great sex, free from worry, by tackling unequal power in women’s intimate relationships, lack of access to resources, and mental health difficulties.
AB - Introduction: Sustained undetectable viral loads (UDVLs) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) eliminate sexual HIV transmission. We measured prevalence and correlates of sexual anxiety among women living with HIV. Methods: We used questionnaire data collected between August 2013 and May 2015 from 1422 women ≥ 16 years in the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study. Among women reporting consensual sex in the past month (n = 474), we determined the proportion who reported high anxiety (“always/usually became anxious or inhibited during sexual activity with a partner”), low anxiety (“sometimes/seldom”), and no anxiety. Logistic regression identified medical, psychological, relational, and social correlates, including awareness of ART prevention benefits (i.e., “makes the risk of transmitting HIV a lot lower”). Results: Cohort diversity is reflected in age (range 17–66; median 39), gender (5.7% trans), ethnicity (41.6% White, 24.5% Indigenous, 27.0% African/Caribbean/Black), sexual orientation (14.2% lesbian/queer), and time living with HIV (range 18 days–30 years.). Overall, 58.6% reported feeling no sexual anxiety, while the remainder said that they always/usually (14.6%) or sometimes/seldom (26.8%) became anxious or inhibited during sex. Current sex work, previous illicit drug use, and depression were associated with higher adjusted odds of sexual anxiety, while greater emotional closeness and more equitable relationship power were associated with lower odds. There was no correlation between awareness of ART prevention benefits and sexual anxiety. Conclusions: Relatively few women reported high anxiety during sex with a partner. This was more socially and relationally influenced than linked to understanding ART prevention benefits. Policy Implications: Women living with HIV should be supported to have great sex, free from worry, by tackling unequal power in women’s intimate relationships, lack of access to resources, and mental health difficulties.
KW - Antiretroviral therapy
KW - Canada
KW - CHIWOS
KW - HIV
KW - Sexual anxiety
KW - Women
U2 - 10.1007/s13178-020-00432-2
DO - 10.1007/s13178-020-00432-2
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85079186379
VL - 17
SP - 765
EP - 779
JO - Sexuality Research and Social Policy
JF - Sexuality Research and Social Policy
SN - 1868-9884
IS - 4
ER -