# Partner violence perpetration and sexual risk behavior: Identifying comorbid patterns and their antecedents and consequences among young men in Tanzania to inform integrated prevention efforts

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $77,750

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY A large number of studies of girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region
disproportionately affected by HIV, have found a link between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and HIV
infection. One understudied explanation that has been put forth for this link is that male IPV perpetrators are more likely
than non-perpetrators to engage in sexual risk behaviors putting both themselves and their partners at risk for HIV and
other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Consistent with this notion, a small but growing body of cross-sectional
research with men and boys in SSA has demonstrated an association between IPV perpetration and sexual risk behavior.
Yet, almost no research in SSA or other settings has gone beyond establishing an association to examine patterns of co-
occurrence (comorbidity) across multiple dimensions of IPV and sexual risk and/or identify factors (or combinations of
factors) that drive comorbid behavior patterns. This is a critical gap in the literature; understanding the intersection of
various dimensions of IPV (e.g., psychological, physical, sexual) and sexual risk behavior (e.g., condom use,
concurrency) among men can provide a more complete picture of different profiles of behavior common in the population.
Further, identification of characteristics that predict membership in groups characterized by a profile of high-risk
comorbid behavior has the potential to inform targeting of prevention resources. The objective of the proposed study is to
identify and characterize the etiology, manifestation, and consequences of comorbid IPV perpetration and sexual risk
behavior in a longitudinal cohort of 1,249 young men living in Dar es Salaam Tanzania who were assessed at two time
points across a 33-month period. Drawing from the common factor model the overarching central hypothesis is that IPV
perpetration and sexual risk behavior are rooted in the same risk factors including adverse childhood experiences,
inequitable gender norms, and substance use. Further, drawing from resiliency and social control frameworks, it is posited
that associations between individual risk factors and high (vs. low) risk IPV/sexual risk behavior profiles will be weaker
among men with greater self-regulatory ability and among men nested in social contexts that constrain, rather than
facilitate, risky behavior. To test these hypotheses person-centered analytic approaches will be used to: (1) identify
subgroups of Tanzanian men involved in distinct profiles of IPV perpetration (psychological, physical, sexual) and sexual
risk behavior (condom use, # of sexual partners, sexual partner concurrency) and examine links between profile
membership and STI risk; (2) determine whether and how risk factors in three key domains--adverse childhood
experiences (household dysfunction, family violence exposure), gender norms (inequitable gender role attitudes,
masculine gender role stress), and substance use (heavy alcohol use, mariju...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9999675
- **Project number:** 5R03MH121200-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** H. Luz McNaughton Reyes
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $77,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-20 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9999675

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9999675, Partner violence perpetration and sexual risk behavior: Identifying comorbid patterns and their antecedents and consequences among young men in Tanzania to inform integrated prevention efforts (5R03MH121200-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9999675. Licensed CC0.

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