Links between exposure to violence and HIV-infection: Implications for substance abuse treatment with women

Among women, a history of exposure to violence is associated with both an increased likelihood of substance use and an increased risk of HIV-infection. Thus substance use and other behaviors which can affect the risk of HIV exposure are often influenced by the psychosocial sequelae of violent victimization. Because these issues are interrelated, mental health interventions focused on any one of these issues in isolation may be less effective than an integrated approach. The current paper reviews the extant literature on these topics and proposes that treatment of women substance users must address the relationships between psychological trauma and increased HIV-risk behaviors and that attention to substance abuse and psychological trauma are necessary foci of services to HIV-infected women.