Marseille 2007
| Abstract #477 - Sexual fidelity and fear of possible exposure to the Human Immuno-deficiency virus | ||||
|
Session: 6.74: Posters A (Poster) on Monday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Dr Mbololwa Mbikusita-Lewanika - Ebenezer, United Kingdom |
||||
| Additional Authors: Dr Stephen Hart, | ||||
| Aim: General observations and discussions, anecdotal evidence and a great deal of traditional counselling related to womanhood and marriage in Zambia, suggests a widespread view that sexual infidelity is rampant among husbands and most male partners. Indeed during investigations of the dry sex practice among Zambian women, many respondents expressed their concerns about the sexual fidelity of their male partners and their subsequent concerns about possible exposure to the Human Immuno-deficiency virus (HIV). The aim of the study was therefore to investigate the extent of these perceptions and the level of fear among Zambian women, of undue exposure to HIV. | ||||
| Method / Issue: A cross-sectional study involving 812 Zambian women was undertaken in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. The survey was conducted at 29 centres including companies and organisations, womens groups and projects, educational establishments, civic training projects, health facilities and town markets. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected through self-administered questionnaires (340), interviews (472), in-depth interviews (8) and focus group discussions (91). The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS, and the qualitative data was used to complement and clarify the quantitative data. Perceptions of the sexual fidelity of male partners were measured among respondents who had regular sexual partners, as well as their perceptions of possible exposure to HIV, through their partners. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Just under two-thirds (63%) of the respondents who had regular sexual partners either thought their partners were unfaithful, or were not sure. Similarly, almost two-thirds (61%) of the respondents with regular sexual partners were fearful of possible exposure to HIV because of their partners sexual activities. Those who were most likely to think that their husbands or partners were unfaithful, were those who were separated (p<0.001), from the lowest socio-economic levels (p<<0.001), with little or no formal education (p<<0.001), manual workers (p<<0.001), homemakers (p<<0.001), entrepreneurs (p<<0.001), mainstream Christians (p<0.001) or those who belonged to the Nyanja tribal grouping (p<0.003). Similarly respondents who were most fearful of undue exposure to HIV infection were those who were divorced or widowed (p<0.005), from the lowest levels of the socio-economic ladder (p<<0.001), with little or no formal education (p<0.047), manual workers (p<0.015), homemakers (p<0.015), entrepreneurs (p<0.015), or those who belonged to the North-Western or Nyanja tribal grouping (p<0.033). | ||||
| Discussion: These perceptions of male fidelity are important because they can be the basis of certain behaviour patterns among women, including behaviour pertaining to the use of dry sex medicines and fear of HIV infection. In a community devastated by HIV/AIDS, fear of possible exposure to HIV might be a welcome deterrent to inappropriate behaviour. However, in the case of these respondents the fear may have been an unhealthy and unproductive fear because the threat of HIV infection was perceived to come from without, leaving the respondents with little or no control over events leading to HIV exposure. The gender and socio-economic power balance and dynamics, which are heavily weighed against Zambian women, contribute to this state of fear and helplessness. | ||||
| Go Back | ||||
