Does Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Affect the Acceptability of Expedited Partner Therapy?

Background:  Women bear the burden of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in New York State (NYS) and 25% of women in the United States have experienced physical and/or sexual assault inflicted by an intimate partner. Studies have identified associations between IPV and risks for sexually transmitted diseases (STD).  In 2009, NYS legalized Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) for chlamydial infections, however, EPT guidance when IPV is a concern is not available.

Objectives: To assess associations between IPV and women’s opinions of EPT.

Methods: Study participants consisted of women receiving health services at an urban Upstate NYS health center that completed a self-administered questionnaire. Exposure to IPV within the past year was measured by the composite abuse scale (CAS). Recent IPV was defined by a CAS score of >3 and all others were defined as no recent IPV exposure.

Results: Among 260 respondents, 130 (50%) reported recent IPV.  Compared to women with no recent IPV,  those recently exposed were more likely to report >1 current sex partner (p<0.001), more likely to agree they had at least one partner they would not trust to give them a prescription to treat an STD [adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) = 2.8, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = (1.7, 4.6)] and less likely to agree that it is okay for a doctor to give an STD-infected patient a written prescription for his or her sexual partner (aPR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5-0.9).

Conclusions: Differences in the acceptability of EPT exist between women recently and not recently exposed to IPV. These findings suggest that women suffering from IPV would be less likely to benefit from EPT and underscore the importance of IPV risk assessment when considering partner management strategies.

Implications for Programs, Policy, and Research: The results are intended to inform STD prevention programs when developing EPT policies.