African American Women and AIDS: Factors Influencing Risk and Reaction to HIV Disease

African American women represent the fastest growing group of individuals infected with HIV in the United States. Social and contextual influences on HIV risk vulnerability in this group are discussed, with particular emphasis on risk behaviors related to heterosexual contact and injection drug use....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of black psychology 2004-02, Vol.30 (1), p.106-123
Main Authors: McNair, Lily D., Prather, Cynthia M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
African Americans
AIDS
Black American people
Black people
Drug abuse
Drug use
Drugs
Gender
Health behavior
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Imbalance
Mental health
Psychosocial factors
Psychosocial intervention
Risk behavior
Risk factors
Risks
Sex ratio
Sexual behaviour
Social context
Social factors
Social psychology
Trends
U.S.A
Vulnerability
Women
Women's health
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Summary:African American women represent the fastest growing group of individuals infected with HIV in the United States. Social and contextual influences on HIV risk vulnerability in this group are discussed, with particular emphasis on risk behaviors related to heterosexual contact and injection drug use. Social factors associated with the sex-ratio imbalance and low rates of condom use in the African American community are addressed, as are contextual influences related to environmental stress and psychosocial issues. We describe interventions that directly address both social and contextual influences on African American women’s risk behaviors. Finally, mental health and psychological concerns are presented as a framework for better understanding women’s reactions to HIV/AIDS and for developing comprehensive programs and services that better meet their needs.
ISSN:0095-7984
1552-4558
DOI:10.1177/0095798403261414