ArticlePloS one2020
Support or control? Qualitative interviews with Zambian women on male partner involvement in HIV care during and after pregnancy.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Perinatal mental health impacts of intimate partner violence in the African region: a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- Social support as a coping resource for psychosocial conditions in postpartum period: a systematic review and logic framework.BMC psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Barriers to the participation of men in reproductive health care: a systematic review and meta-synthesis.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Addition of HIV self-test kits to partner notification services to increase HIV testing of male partners of pregnant women in Zambia: two parallel randomised trials.The Lancet. Global health · 2021Trial
- Imbalances in authorship, geographic and institutional contexts, and funding sources in research on gender approaches to sexual and reproductive health in Africa: a scoping review.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Perinatal HIV treatment in the context of financial and psychological intimate partner violence in urban South Africa.Psychology of violence · 2025Article
- Pathways between intimate partner violence and HIV care and treatment during pregnancy and postpartum: A qualitative study in southwestern Kenya.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Barriers and facilitators of a large clinical trial on prevention of HIV transmission through breastfeeding in Lusaka, Zambia: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Sexual violence and antiretroviral adherence among women of reproductive age in African population-based surveys: the moderating role of the perinatal phase.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2023Article
- Understanding the meanings of male partner support in the adherence to therapy among HIV-positive women: a gender analysis.Global health action · 2022Article
- Client and Provider Experiences in Uganda Suggest Demand for and Highlight the Importance of Addressing HIV Stigma and Gender Norms Within Safer Conception Care.AIDS and behavior · 2022Article
- Involvement of Male Partners of Pregnant Women in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in Haiti: A Mixed-Methods Study.American journal of men's healthArticle
- Outcome expectancies toward adherence to antiretroviral therapy for pregnant and postpartum women with HIV.Women's health (London, England)Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEfforts to promote male partner involvement in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) may inadvertently exploit gender power differentials to achieve programme targets.
methodsWe explored women's relative power and perceptions of male partner involvement through interviews with postpartum Zambian women living with HIV (n = 32) using a critical discourse analysis.
resultsWomen living with HIV reported far-reaching gender power imbalances, including low participation in household decision-making, economic reliance on husbands, and oppressive gendered sexual norms, which hindered their autonomy and prevented optimal mental and physical health during and after their pregnancy. When the husband was HIV-negative, sero-discordance exacerbated women's low power in these heterosexual couples. Male involvement in HIV care was both helpful and hurtful, and often walked a fine line between support for the woman and controlling behaviours over her. Inequities in the sexual divisions of power and labour and gender norms, combined with HIV stigma created challenging circumstances for women navigating the PMTCT cascade.
conclusionsFuture programmes should consider the benefits and risks of male partner involvement within specific relationships and according to women's needs, rather than advocating for universal male involvement in PMTCT. This work highlights the persistent need for gender transformative approaches alongside PMTCT efforts.
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