FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/May 15, 1996 CONTACT: Sara Foer [202/651-7023]; Joan Meehan [202/651-7020] Divorced And Separated Women Are More at Risk For STDs Than Previously Thought, Says New ResearchWASHINGTON -- Sexually active divorced or separated women are at much higher risk for getting and transmitting sexual diseases than expected, according to a new study in a recent issue of Nursing Research, an AJN publication and the research journal of the American Nurses Association. Previous beliefs that only young girls who drop out of school are vulnerable to contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may not be entirely true, according to research on women over twenty who are sexually active. Many of these women, it seems, are having sex with a variety of new partners and are not using condoms to protect themselves or others against STDs. Researchers Lucy N. Marion, PhD, RN, CS, and Cheryl L. Cox, PhD, RN, discovered this unexpected population at risk for STDs by examining the sexual behavior of 254 mostly white, college educated women between 20 and 49 years of age. They found that condom use was low for most of the women in the sample. Almost 50 percent of the women who were currently considered fertile (those reporting use of barrier, withdrawal, rhythm, or no highly reliable form of contraception) used condoms at least sometimes. However, only 21 percent of those who were currently considered infertile (those incapable of pregnancy due to oral contraception, tubal ligation, hysterectomy, or menopause) used condoms to protect against STDs. These findings, say the authors, shed light on a problem that has been too long in the dark. Many older, mature and well-educated women who are divorced or separated take too many risks when it comes to unsafe sexual practices. "Many in our study were having sex with more than one partner and using condoms more for fear of pregnancy and disease and not just for protection against disease," said Marion. "Women at risk for pregnancy had stronger social influences and more previous health experience with condoms to keep them using condoms than those that were infertile at the time this experiment was conducted," Marion explained. "We believe that these women can change their behavior and lower their risk for STDs with the proper intervention," said Marion. "Nurses can provide counseling, educational and motivational strategies to empower them to look at the STD risk realistically and take responsibility to reduce this risk. Support groups can be attended, especially in the early stages of divorce, to help women protect themselves and use good judgment while adjusting to a divorce." "Using condoms for birth control and/or as protection against disease is the first step in decreasing the spread of any STDs," said Marion, "and enlisting the partners of these women to support condom use will further reduce this risk."
|
