Partner relationship and self-rating of HIV-infection risk in young women

This study is devoted to research of partner relationship features and HIV-infection self-assessment risk among young women. The study involved 62 non-pregnant women aged 18 to 38 years old, who had sex within last 6 months, with various self-rating of HIV risk. The study examined the following characteristics (appropriate methods used): locus control, interpersonal relations, attitude to health, partner relationship well-being level. In addition, a semi-structured interview was used as a research method. The interview was aimed at the study of sexual behavior, especially sexual interaction with a partner, HIV-infection self-rating risk, assess of anxiety and depressive symptoms presence, and knowledge and attitudes towards HIV identification. Data analysis showed a large number of interesting results: young women consisting in the relations that are characterized as single and favorable deny risk of HIV infection, regardless of actual risk existence. A negative correlation was also revealed between the level of partner relationship well-being and HIV-infection self-rating risk, that is, the higher the subjunctive level of relationship well-being, the less likely young women assess their HIV infection risk as possible. There is revealed a number of characteristics for women that deny risk of HIV-infection for them: external type of locus control inherent for them; they have a lower knowledge about the disease than women, admitting the possibility of risk; respondents who deny the possibility of risk, more confident that they can protect themselves from infection. A correlation was also revealed between the presence of signs of current depressive symptoms and self-rating risk of HIV infection in young women. It was found that women, which assess their HIV infection risk as possible, more often show signs of depression status than women, that deny the possibility of infection.