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Objective: Physical and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents leads to adverse health behaviors, particularly suicidal ideation and attempts. Studies demonstrated the link between IPV and suicidal ideation and attempts among adolescents, yet there is conflicting evidence regarding differences between adolescent males and females; research evaluating the interaction of gender and the association between IPV and suicidal ideation and attempts is limited. The present study used a nationally representative sample from the Youth Behavioral Risk Surveillance questionnaire to determine whether there is an interaction of gender on the relationship between physical IPV, sexual IPV, and suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts., Method: Weighted logistic regressions were fit using Stata 15.1 and multiple imputations were used to account for missing data., Results: There is a significant gender by sexual IPV interaction (AOR = 0.66, CI = 0.51-0.84, p  = 0.002) such that at low levels of sexual IPV there were no differences between genders in reported suicide attempts (t[33] = 1.19, p = 0.242). However, at moderate and high instances of sexual IPV, adolescent females were significantly less likely than males to report attempting suicide in the past year (t[33] = -2.71, p  = 0.011; t[33] = -3.17, p  = 0.003, respectively)., Conclusions: The present study demonstrates the vital need for IPV and suicidal ideation and attempt screening, tailored multi-level interventions, and advocacy for adolescents. Policies are essential to increase screening among medical providers, and increase school- and community-based interventions and IPV and suicide awareness to decrease rates among adolescents.HIGHLIGHTSFemale students were more likely than males to report suicidal ideation.Significant interaction between sex and sexual IPV on suicide attempts.Gender differences at medium and high levels of sexual IPV on suicide attempts.

The Superwomen Schema (SWS) describes a social framework that encompasses the role that many Black women adopt in response to chronic stress, financial pressures, and an intersection of oppression. Woods-Giscombé (Superwoman Schema: African American Women's Views on Stress, Strength, and Health. Qualitative Health Research 20 (5): 668-683, 2010) characterizes SWS using five tenets: obligation to manifest strength, obligation to suppress emotions, resistance to vulnerability or dependency, determination to succeed despite a lack of resources, and an obligation to help others. The goal of this study is to determine the connection between SWS among Black women and substance use as a means of maintaining mental health, garnering resilience, and coping with external pressures. We aimed to highlight systemic and infrastructural racism and prejudice and how they relate, not only to the adoption of SWS, but also how they may contribute to substance use. This study is a secondary analysis of a larger study on HIV prevention Black and Latine women at high risk for HIV. Only Black participants (n = 10) were included in this secondary analysis. The interviews were conducted 3 times across 3 months. Interviews were coded and analyzed using thematic content analysis in NVivo. Themes of undiagnosed mental health symptoms, medical mistrust, institutional distrust, and aversion to help-seeking were recurrent in our data. Our research confirmed and assessed dual repercussions of SWS among Black women both as a defense that granted resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and as a construct that encouraged substance use as a coping mechanism for compromised mental health. This study contextualized this subset of coping and substance use to address and dismantle systemic contributors.

In the USA, Black women are at disproportionately higher risk for HIV compared to women of other races/ethnicities, which can be explained by the Substance Abuse, Violence and AIDS (SAVA) syndemic. Disparities in HIV, substance use and violence are driven by multiple influences, including structural factors (e.g. housing and poverty), which exacerbate social- and individual-level factors leading to more sex partners, engaging in unprotected sex, having sex for money, experiencing forced sex from an intimate partner or increased substance use, all of which increase HIV risk. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a pill that can prevent HIV, is a discreet and underutilised method that Black women experiencing syndemics can use to decrease their risk. This study explored Black women's interest in, and barriers to adopting PrEP over 6 months. Thirty Black women (age M  = 32.2) who experienced multiple substance use, violence and HIV-related syndemic factors were interviewed four times over a 6-month period. Results demonstrated that experiencing intimate partner violence, substance use, community violence and other structural factors (poor access to social services, transport and childcare) all acted as barriers to PrEP adoption. Future research should consider multi-level interventions that include methods such as media campaigns, providing PrEP or referrals where women who experience syndemic and structural factors seek help, and implement a PrEP adherence programmes and interventions in support group settings.

Background: HIV infection is problematic among all drug users, not only injection drug users. Drug users are at risk for contracting HIV by engaging in risky sexual behaviors., Objective: The present study sought to determine whether inhibitory processes moderate the relationship between problematic drug use and HIV-risk behaviors (unprotected sex and multiple sex partners)., Methods: One hundred ninety-six drug offenders enrolled in drug education programs were administered a battery of computer-based assessments. Measures included a cued go/no-go assessment of inhibitory processes, the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) assessment of problematic drug use, and self-report assessment of condom use and multiple sex partners., Results: Findings revealed that response inhibition assessed by the proportion of false alarms on the cued go/no-go moderated the relationship between problematic drug use and an important measure of HIV risk (condom nonuse) among drug offenders. However, response inhibition did not moderate the relationship between problematic drug use and another measure of HIV risk: multiple sex partners., Conclusions: Among this sample of drug offenders, we have found a relationship between problematic drug use and condom nonuse, which is exacerbated by poor control of inhibition. These findings have implications for the development of HIV intervention components among high-risk populations.

Approximately 36% of HIV cases are related to substance abuse. Substance abusers, including non-injection drug users, are at a high-risk for contracting HIV due to risky behaviors, including unprotected sex. Due to these behavioral and infection risks, feasible interventions that focus on condom use within this population are imperative. The current study involved the development of brief intervention designed to increase implementation intentions (situation-linked action plans) to use condoms in convicted non-violent drug offenders participating in drug diversion programs in Southern California. Participants (n = 143) were randomized at the individual level to either waitlist control or experimental conditions. The randomized waitlist control group received the HIV survey for the pre-test before the intervention, while the experimental group received a neutral, non-HIV-related, survey at pre-test. The experimental group received the HIV survey as the post-test after the intervention (waitlist control group received the neutral, non-HIV-related, survey). One-tailed Mann Whitney U tests were used to compare the waitlist control and experimental groups. The experimental group was more likely to report stronger implementation intentions to use condoms (p <0.001). These results indicate in the short term that a brief, easily disseminated HIV intervention can be effective for increasing implementation intentions to use condoms in an extremely high HIV-risk population.