Department of Community-Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Ethn Health. 2020 Jan;25(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2017.1395816. Epub 2017 Oct 31.
Global evidence suggests that individuals who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) can have accelerated risk for HIV transmission. The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) has high per capita rates of HIV and IPV that can have devastating effects on women's health. Catalysts for these health disparities may be shaped by cultural and social definitions of conventional masculinity. Thus, understanding USVI men's perceptions about HIV risks and IPV are a necessary component of developing strategies to improve women's health. This study aimed to describe perceptions of HIV risks and IPV among USVI men. We conducted two focus groups with 14 men living on St. Thomas and St. Croix, USVI. The focus group interview guide was culturally relevant and developed using findings from research conducted about these issues on USVI. Thematic analysis was used to analyze focus group data. Transcripts were coded and categorized by four research team members and discrepancies were reconciled. Themes were developed based on the emerging data. Focus group participants were all US citizens born on the USVI, had a median age range of 20-25, 86% (12) were of African descent and 14% (2) were Hispanic. Themes emerging from the data were: (1) validating status, (2) deflecting responsibility, and (3) evoking fear and distrust. These ideas underscored the ways that attitudes and beliefs informed by gender and social norms influence IPV and sexual behavior between intimate partners. USVI society could benefit from interventions that aim to transform norms, promote healthy relationships, and encourage health-seeking behavior to improve the health of women partners.
全球证据表明，遭受亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的个体可能会加速 HIV 传播的风险。美属维尔京群岛（USVI）的 HIV 和 IPV 人均发病率很高，这会对妇女的健康造成毁灭性影响。这些健康差距的催化剂可能受到传统男性气质的文化和社会定义的影响。因此，了解 USVI 男性对 HIV 风险和 IPV 的看法是制定改善妇女健康策略的必要组成部分。本研究旨在描述 USVI 男性对 HIV 风险和 IPV 的看法。我们在 USVI 的圣托马斯和圣克罗伊岛进行了两次有 14 名男性参加的焦点小组。焦点小组访谈指南具有文化相关性，并使用在 USVI 就这些问题进行的研究结果制定。使用主题分析法分析焦点小组数据。四位研究团队成员对抄本进行编码和分类，并解决差异。根据新出现的数据开发主题。焦点小组参与者均为 USVI 出生的美国公民，年龄中位数在 20-25 岁之间，86%（12 人）为非裔，14%（2 人）为西班牙裔。数据中出现的主题是：（1）确认地位，（2）推卸责任，（3）引起恐惧和不信任。这些想法强调了性别和社会规范所依据的态度和信念如何影响 IPV 和亲密伴侣之间的性行为。USVI 社会可以从旨在改变规范、促进健康关系和鼓励寻求健康行为以改善女性伴侣健康的干预措施中受益。
