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Violence victimization is a key threat to adolescents’ well-being in urban slums in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the association between violence victimization and aspiration-expectations disjunction using cross-sectional data from 2360 girls aged 11-15 years in a slum settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to assess the association between violence victimization and aspirations-expectations disjunction, a measure of the difference between aspirations and expectations for achieving them. One-third (n = 798) of girls had experienced at least one form of violence. At bivariate and multivariate level, violence victimization was significantly associated with higher aspirations-expectations disjunction but not with aspirations, suggesting that girls who had experienced violence had lower expectations for achieving aspirations. Results imply that girls who experience violence may lose hope in their future. Interventions to screen girls for violence victimization and enable positive coping may be critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most consistent findings in social epidemiology is an inverse relationship between indicators of SES and most types of illness. However, a growing body of research on HIV in sub-Saharan Africa suggests an intriguing reversal of this pattern, particularly with respect to HIV among women. In Cameroon, specifically, high-SES women have higher rates of HIV infection compared with low-SES women. Using data from the 2004 Cameroon DHS, this study explored the relationships between SES and HIV and tested a multivariate model designed to highlight the distinctive factors associated with increased risk of HIV among women in different SES classes. The results revealed that high-SES women who reported engaging in riskier sexual behaviour had the highest levels of HIV infection. Surprisingly, among this group increased knowledge of HIV, more domestic decision-making authority and access to health care did not reduce vulnerability. Meanwhile, among low-SES women relative gender inequality was significantly related to HIV risk. Specifically, among this group of women, having a partner with higher education was strongly associated with greater HIV risk. The results suggest that different approaches targeting each sub-group are needed to effectively combat the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]