INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND HIV TESTING AMONG HETEROSEXUALLY ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

We assessed the methods used to account for clustering between individuals due to respondent driven sampling, quantified the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and psychological distress, and conducted a mediation analysis evaluating the relationship between IPV and HIV testing including psychological distress as a possible mediator among heterosexually active men and women at high risk of HIV infection participating in the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) in 2016. Based on our simulations comparing respondent driven sampling analysis tools (RDSAT) weighting and generalized estimating equations (GEE) for analyzing NHBS data, point estimates were similar. However, GEE consistently provided more precise estimates with lower standard deviations and mean standard errors. In our analysis of the relationship between IPV and psychological distress, we found that all types of IPV were associated with psychological distress. Our mediation analysis revealed that psychological distress was not deemed a mediator in the relationship between any IPV and HIV testing in the past year. Psychological care needs to be provided for those experiencing IPV and HIV testing needs to increase among heterosexually active men and women at high risk for HIV in the United States.