Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Correlates of HIV Risk and Preventive Behaviors in Armenian Female Sex Workers

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
AIDS and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study describes HIV risk and preventive behaviors and their correlates among Armenian female commercial sex workers (CSWs) as a prerequisite to developing gender and culturally appropriate interventions. Ninety-eight CSWs from three Armenian cities were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Quantitative findings were further elaborated by focus group discussions (N = 25) and key informant interviews (N = 8). Inconsistent condom use with all types of sexual partners was reported, as were condom tear/slippage, alcohol and drug use, and sex with drug injecting clients. Prominent misconceptions regarding HIV transmission, prevention and disease manifestations were noted. Correlates of condom use intentions included history of substance use, attitudes regarding condom use, risk perception, and comfort negotiating condom use. Intentions to use condoms were strongly associated with recent frequency of condom use. Understanding the relationship between condom use and its determinants is critical in the design and implementation of effective prevention programs tailored for Armenian CSWs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Archibald, C. P., Chan, R. K. W., Wong, M. L., Goh, A., & Goh, C. L. (1994). Evaluation of a safe-sex intervention programme among sex workers in Singapore. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 5, 268–272.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Asamoah-Adu, A., Weir, S., Pappoe, M., Kanlisi, N., Neequaye, A., & Lamptey, P. (1994). Evaluation of a targeted AIDS prevention intervention to increase condom use among prostitutes in Ghana. AIDS, 8, 239–246.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1994). Social cognitive theory and exercise of control over HIV infection. In DiClemente, R. J., & Peterson, J. L. (Eds.), Preventing AIDS: Theories and models of behavioral interventions (pp. 25–60). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belcher L., Kalichman S., Topping M., Smith S., Emshoff J., & Norris F., et al. (1998). A randomized trial of a brief HIV risk reduction counseling intervention for women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(5), 856–861.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bhave, G., Lindan, C., Hudes, E. S., Desai, S., Wagle, U., & Tripathi, S. O., et al. (1995). Impact of an intervention on HIV, sexually transmitted disease, and condom use among sex workers in Bombay, India. AIDS, 9(Suppl 1), S21–S30.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carey, M. P. (1999). Prevention of HIV infection through changes in sexual behavior. American Journal of Health Promotion, 14, 104–111.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (2003). Articles 262, 123 and 124.

  • DiClemente, R. J., & Peterson, J. L. (1994). Changing HIV/AIDS risk behavior: The role of behavioral interventions. In DiClemente, R. J., & Peterson, J. L. (Eds.), Preventing AIDS: Theories and models of behavioral interventions (pp. 1–4). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DiClemente, R. J., & Wingood, G. M. (1995). A randomized controlled trial of an HIV sexual risk-reduction intervention for young African-American women. JAMA, 274, 1271–1276.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dorfman, L. E., Derish, P. A., & Cohen, J. B. (1992). Hey girlfriend: An evaluation of AIDS prevention among women in the sex industry. Health Education Quarterly, 19, 25–40.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, J. D., & Fisher, W. A. (1992). Changing AIDS-risk behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 455–474.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, K., Wirawan, D. N., Fajans, P., Meliawan, P., McDonald, K., & Thorpe, L. (1996). Behavioral interventions for reduction of sexually transmitted disease/HIV transmission among female commercial sex workers and clients in Bali, Indonesia. AIDS, 10, 213–222.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, K., Wirawan D. N., Reed, B. D., Muliawan, P., & Wolfe, R. (2002). The Bali STD/AIDS study: Evaluation of an intervention for sex workers. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 29, 50–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, L. J., Bailey, P. E., Clarke-Martinez, K. L., Coello, M., Ordonez, F. N., & Barahona, F. (1993). Condom use among high-risk women in Honduras: Evaluation of an AIDS Prevention Program. AIDS Education and Prevention, 5, 1–10.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grigoryan S., Mkrtchyan A., & Davidyants V. (Eds.) (2002). HIV surveillance in the Republic of Armenia, 2000–2002. Yerevan (Armenia): National Center for AIDS Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grigoryan, S., Petrosyan, J., & Shahbazyan, L. (2004). The problem of HIV/AIDS and the mass media. Yerevan (Armenia): National Center for AIDS Prevention, World Vision-Armenia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, C. M., & Carey, M. P. (1996). Alcohol’s effects on requisites for sexual risk reduction in men: An initial experimental investigation. Health Psychology, 15, 56–60.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C. (1998). Preventing AIDS: A sourcebook for behavioral interventions. Mahwah, New Jersey, London: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C., Carey, M. P., & Johnson, B. T. (1996). Prevention of sexually transmitted HIV infection: A meta-analytic review and critique of the theory-based intervention outcome literature. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 18, 6–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kauth, M. R., Lawrence, J. S., & Kelly, J. A. (1992). Reliability of retrospective assessment of sexual HIV risk behavior: A comparison of bi-weekly, 3-month, and 12-month-reports. AIDS Education and Prevention, 3, 207–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melikian, G. L. (1999). HIV infection among commercial sex workers in Yerevan: Findings and policy recommendations. Armenian Forum: A Journal of Contemporary Affairs, 2, 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center for AIDS Prevention of the Republic of Armenia: Homepage on the Internet. (Cited September, 2005). Available at http://www.armaids.am/index.htm.

  • Ngugi, E. N., Simonsen, J. N., Bosire, M., Ronald, A. R., Plummer, F. A., & Cameron, D. W., et al. (1988). Prevention of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus in Africa: Effectiveness of condom promotion and health education among prostitutes. Lancet, 2, 887–890.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papoyan, A., Arakelyan, A., & Bakshinyan, E. (2005). HIV and AIDS in Armenia: A socio-cultural approach. In Buckley, C. (Eds.), HIV and AIDS in the caucasus region: A socio-cultural approach (pp.35–50). UNESCO, Tbilisi: “OMEGI TEGI” Print House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson J. L., & DiClemente R. J. (Eds.). (2000). Handbook of HIV prevention. New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, N. L., & Hanenberg, R. (1997). Condoms used during most commercial sex acts in Thailand. AIDS 11(8), 1064–1065.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenstock, I. M., Strecher, V. J., & Becker, M. H. (1994). The health belief model and HIV risk behavior change. In DiClemente, R. J., & Peterson, J. L. (Eds.), Preventing AIDS: Theories and models of behavioral interventions (pp. 5–24). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shatvoryan, E. (2001). Report on some aspects of commercial sex work in Armenia. Yerevan (Armenia): UNFPA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swaddiwudhipong, W., Nguntra, P., Chaovakiratipong, C., Roonchote, S., Lerdlukanavonge, P., & Chandoun, C. (1990). Effect of health education and condom promotion on behavioral change among low socioeconomic prostitutes in Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 21, 453–457.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UNAIDS: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2004). AIDS epidemic update: December 2004. Available at: http://www.unaids.org.

  • Van Griensven, G. J. P., Limanonda, B., Ngaokeow, S., Ayuthaya, S. I. N., & Poshyachinda, V. (1998). Evaluation of a targeted HIV prevention programme among female commercial sex workers in the South of Thailand. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 74, 54–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Visrutaratna, S., Lindan, C. P., Sirhorachai, A., & Mandel, J. S. (1995). ‘Superstar’ and ‘model brothel’: Developing and evaluating a condom promotion program for sex establishments in Chiang Mai, Thailand. AIDS, 9(Suppl 1), S69–S75.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walden, V. M., Mwangulube, K., & Makhumula-Nkhoma, P. (1999). Measuring the impact of a behavior change intervention for commercial sex workers and their potential clients in Malawi. Health Education Research, 14, 545–554.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, M. L. (1995). Behavioral interventions in the control of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted diseases – A Review. Annals of Academy of Medicine, Singapore, 24, 602–607.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The project was supported in part by the NIH/FIC/AIDS International Training and Research Program of Emory University (D43 TW01042) and the NIH/NIAID Center for AIDS Research of Emory University (2P30 AI 50409-04A1).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Education Association NGO, Yerevan, Armenia

    Karine M. Markosyan

  2. Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Talin Babikian

  3. Center for AIDS Research and Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Ralph J. DiClemente

  4. Department of Socio-Medical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Jennifer S. Hirsch

  5. National Center for AIDS Prevention, Yerevan, Armenia

    Samvel Grigoryan

  6. AIDS International Training and Research Program of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Karine M. Markosyan

  7. Center for AIDS Research and Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Jessie Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA , 30303, USA

    Carlos del Rio

Authors
  1. Karine M. Markosyan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Talin Babikian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ralph J. DiClemente
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jennifer S. Hirsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Samvel Grigoryan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Carlos del Rio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos del Rio.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Markosyan, K.M., Babikian, T., DiClemente, R.J. et al. Correlates of HIV Risk and Preventive Behaviors in Armenian Female Sex Workers. AIDS Behav 11, 325–334 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-006-9147-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-006-9147-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation