Barriers to HIV Education and Prevention

Several researchers have identified a connection between unresolved childhood sexual trauma and the abuse survivor's increased risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. As a result of these studies, educators are encouraged to look at why the adult survivor population is not being affected by existing prevention efforts. The following discussion examines several prevention strategies based on cognitive, behavioral, or affective focus. Particular attention is given to describing how these programs do not adequately address the self-defeating behaviors and emotional distress of many sexual abuse survivors. The authors present a review of the emerging research delineating the connection between childhood sexual abuse and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and offer recommendations regarding the implications of these findings.