The intersection of violence, substance use, depression, and STDs: testing of a syndemic pattern among patients attending an urban STD clinic.

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Senn, Theresa E. Carey, Michael P. Vanable, Peter A.
Copyright Year	2010
Abstract	OBJECTIVES High rates of psychosocial and health problems have been identified among patients attending sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, who are disproportionately urban, have low income, and are racial/ethnic minorities. This study sought to determine whether these problems co-occurred and whether they indicated the presence of a syndemic. METHODS Patients (N = 1557, 46% female, 64% African American) attending an urban STD clinic completed a computerized survey assessing childhood sexual abuse (CSA), depressive symptoms, binge drinking, marijuana use, intimate partner violence (IPV), and sexual risk behavior. Medical records were reviewed to determine incident STD diagnosis. RESULTS The psychosocial and health problems were interrelated. Endorsing more psychosocial problems was associated with a greater likelihood of having multiple sexual partners and STD diagnosis. Interactions between CSA and marijuana use and between CSA and IPV predicted STD diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Numerous psychosocial and health problems co-occur among urban STD clinic patients. There was some evidence of a syngergistic relationship (i.e., a syndemic) between these conditions, resulting in worsened sexual health outcomes. Health care needs to be multidisciplinary to address the multiple psychosocial and health problems faced by STD clinic patients. Research needs to identify factors that may underlie these comorbid conditions.
Starting Page	34
Ending Page	34
Page Count	1
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://www.safetylit.org/citations/ild_request_form.php?article_id=citjournalarticle_206759_20
PubMed reference number	20690325v1
Volume Number	102
Issue Number	7
Journal	Journal of the National Medical Association
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Binge Drinking Binge eating disorder Clinic Depressive disorder Got Worse Intersection of set of elements Intimate Partner Violence Low sodium diet Marijuana Smoking Multiple Personality Disorder Patients Physiological Sexual Disorders Sexually Transmitted Diseases disease transmission
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article