Patria Rojas

Latinas have the highest incidence rates of cervical cancer in the United States, and Latinas in the United States are less likely to utilize cervical cancer screening.We used secondary data analysis of a non-clinical convenience sample (n=316 women at baseline; n=285 at five-year follow-up) to examine correlates of cervical cancer screening among adult Latina women. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models using Generalized Estimated Equations (GEE) algorithm were utilized to assess the influence of the independent variables.Women who reported their main healthcare source as community health clinics, women who were sexually active, and women who reported that a healthcare provider discussed HIV prevention with them were more likely to report having a cervical cancer screening (aOR=2.06; CI=1.20, 3.52).The results suggest a need for continued efforts to ensure that medically underserved women (e.g., Latina women) receive counseling and education about the importance of preventive cancer screening.

Few studies have examined the sociocultural determinants of risky sexual behavior trajectories among adult Latinas. To longitudinally examine the link between sociocultural determinants of risky sexual behaviors, we followed a sample of adult Latina mother-daughter dyads (n = 267) across a 10-year span through four waves of data collection. The present study investigates how risky sexual behavior (operationalized as sex under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, sex without a condom, or multiple sex partners) is affected by: (a) socioeconomic conditions; (b) mental health; (c) medical health; (d) acculturation to U.S. culture; (e) interpersonal support; (f) relationship stress; (g) mother-daughter attachment; (h) intimate partner violence; (i) religious involvement; and (j) criminal justice involvement. Results indicate the following factors are negatively associated with risky sexual behavior: drug and alcohol use, treating a physical problem with prescription drugs, religious involvement, and mother–daughter attachment. The following factors are positively associated with risky sexual behavior: higher number of mental health symptoms, being U.S.-born, and criminal justice involvement. We discuss implications for the future development of culturally relevant interventions based on the study findings.

This study examines correlates of non-medical prescription sedative, tranquilizer, and hypnotics use (hereafter NPSU) among a non-clinical, community-based sample of adult Latina mother-daughter dyads. Participants were 316 Latina mothers and daughters enrolled in a study of intergenerational transmission of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors in South Florida. Interviewers administered a questionnaire containing study variables such as age, education, time in the U.S., Spanish language proficiency, health insurance status, wellness behaviors, perceived health condition, alcohol use, NPSU, and other drug use. Correlates of NPSU across mothers and daughters were determined using a dyadic model analysis. Daughters’ health status, age, wellness, and illicit drug use were associated with mothers’ NPSU. Mothers who reported being uninsured, having higher levels of education, and indicating poorer health statuses reported more NPSU. Daughters’ wellness behaviors, age, illicit drug use, and insurance status were associated with their NPSU. Insured mothers and mothers who engaged in illicit drug use had daughters who reported more NPSU. The study's findings provide a modest understanding of family dynamics surrounding NPSU, and it suggests that as women age and their perceived health status worsens, their NPSU may increase.

This article reviews HIV/AIDS epidemiological data and recent research conducted in the Dominican Republic, with a focus on explaining the variability in estimated seroincidence and prevalence within the country. HIV seroprevalence estimates range from 1.0% (in the general population) to 11.0% among men who have sex with men (MSM). Some have indicated that the highest HIV seroprevalence occurs in Haitian enclaves called bateyes (US Agency for International Development [USAID], 2008), which are migrant worker shantytowns primarily serving the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic. Others report higher or comparable rates to the bateyes in areas related to the tourism and sex industries. As in other Caribbean and Latin American countries, reported HIV transmission in the Dominican Republic is predominantly due to unprotected heterosexual sex and the infection rate has been increasing disproportionally among women. The Dominican Republic represents two thirds of the Hispaniola island; the western one third is occupied by Haiti, the nation with the highest HIV prevalence in the western hemisphere. Although data is limited, it shows important differences in seroprevalence and incidence between these two countries, but commonalities such as poverty, gender inequalities, and stigma appear to be pivotal factors driving the epidemic. This article will discuss these and other factors that may contribute to the HIV epidemic in the Dominican Republic, as well as highlight the gaps in the literature and provide recommendations to guide further work in this area, particularly in the role of governance in sustainable HIV prevention.

Intergenerational associations between a consensual childhood sexual experience and adult substance abuse among Latina mothers and daughters Patria Rojas2,3, Sunny Kim4, Mario De La Rosa2,3, Frank R Dillon2,3, Theophile Niyonsenga1,31Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, 2School of Social Work, 3Center for Research on US Latinos HIV/AIDs and Drug Abuse, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; 4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Davis, CA, USAPurpose: Early onset of sexual activity has been linked to later substance abuse. Our study aimed to further describe the associations between Latina mothers’ and daughters’ early sexual activity and adult substance abuse.Methods: A survey was conducted with 92 Latina mother–daughter dyads whose members never experienced sexual abuse. Childhood sexual experience was defined as the occurrence of a consensual sexual encounter at the age of 15 years or younger. Substance abusers were identified by the extent of substance use during the 12 months prior to the interview. Path analysis was used to fit our conceptual models to the data.Main findings: Daughters’ current, adult substance abuse was associated independently with: their own childhood sexual experience (odds ratio [OR] = 6.0) and mothers’ current, adult substance abuse (OR = 2.0). Compared with daughters who first experienced sex after the age of 19, the odds of using substances were 17.7 times higher among daughters who had childhood sexual experience and 3.8 times higher among daughters who first experienced sex between the age of 16–19 years. Explicitly, sexual experiences between the ages of 16–19 years were also risk factors for later adult substance abuse. Mothers’ childhood sexual experience (OR = 7.3) was a strong predictor for daughters’ childhood sexual experience.Conclusions: Our study supported a link between mother and daughter childhood sexual experience among Latinas, and indicated it is a correlate of adult substance abuse. Family based substance abuse prevention efforts and future longitudinal studies should consider maternal childhood sexual experience as a potential indication of risk for Latina daughters.Keywords: early sex, child sex, Latina, substance abuse

The purpose of this study was to describe the role of substance abuse as a mediating factor between early sexual experiences and suicide attempts among adult Latinas. In our study participants (n=158), nearly 15% had attempted suicide and 39% experienced their first sexual encounter at an age of 15 or younger (referred to hereafter as "early sex"). Latinas who experienced early sex were more likely to attempt suicide [OR=2.4, p<0.05], and this relationship was largely mediated by substance abuse. An early sexual debut may indicate an environmental adversity on the child that calls for long term intervention for prevention of substance abuse as well as promotion of psychological well-being later in life.