Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N Broadway, Room 733, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Arch Sex Behav. 2010 Jun;39(3):735-47. doi: 10.1007/s10508-008-9464-4. Epub 2009 Feb 18.
Currently in clinical trials, vaginal microbicides are proposed as a female-initiated method of sexually transmitted infection prevention. Much of microbicide acceptability research has been conducted outside of the United States and frequently without consideration of the social interaction between sex partners, ignoring the complex gender and power structures often inherent in young women's (heterosexual) relationships. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to build on existing microbicide research by exploring the role of male partners and relationship characteristics on young women's use of a microbicide surrogate, an inert vaginal moisturizer (VM), in a large city in the United States. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 young women (18-23 years old; 85% African American; 47.5% mothers) following use of the VM during coital events for a 4 week period. Overall, the results indicated that relationship dynamics and perceptions of male partners influenced VM evaluation. These two factors suggest that relationship context will need to be considered in the promotion of vaginal microbicides. The findings offer insights into how future acceptability and use of microbicides will be influenced by gendered power dynamics. The results also underscore the importance of incorporating men into microbicide promotion efforts while encouraging a dialogue that focuses attention on power inequities that can exist in heterosexual relationships. Detailed understanding of these issues is essential for successful microbicide acceptability, social marketing, education, and use.
目前正在进行临床试验的阴道杀微生物剂被提议作为一种女性主动预防性传播感染的方法。 许多杀微生物剂可接受性研究都是在美国以外进行的，而且常常没有考虑到性伴侣之间的社会互动，忽略了年轻女性（异性恋）关系中经常存在的复杂性别和权力结构。 因此，本研究旨在通过探索男性伴侣的角色以及关系特征对年轻女性使用杀微生物剂替代物（一种惰性阴道保湿剂 [VM]）的影响，在一个美国大城市对现有杀微生物剂研究进行补充。 在使用 VM 进行 4 周的性交活动后，对 40 名年轻女性（18-23 岁；85%非裔美国人；47.5%为母亲）进行了个体半结构化访谈。 总体而言，研究结果表明，关系动态和对男性伴侣的看法影响了 VM 的评估。 这两个因素表明，在推广阴道杀微生物剂时需要考虑到关系背景。 这些发现为未来杀微生物剂的可接受性和使用如何受到性别权力动态的影响提供了深入的了解。 研究结果还强调了将男性纳入杀微生物剂推广工作的重要性，同时鼓励进行关注异性恋关系中可能存在的权力不平等的对话。 对这些问题的详细了解对于成功的杀微生物剂可接受性、社会营销、教育和使用至关重要。
