"When You Tell Them, Your Secret is Out There": Experiences of Sexuality and Intimacy Among HIV Positive Black Women
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: HIV/AIDS infections disproportionately impact African Americans within the United States. In 2010, black Americans made up 12 percent of the United States population, yet accounted for 44 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections (Kaiser Family Foundation 2013). The majority of black women (85 percent) are infected with the virus through heterosexual contact, meaning it is critical examine their sexual lives in order to gain insight into this infection within this population (CDC 2011b). Through semi-structured interviews at a Tampa, Florida AIDS service organization, this study presents the experiences of sexuality and intimacy among HIV positive black women. Results demonstrate that HIV impacts much more than sexuality in the lives of these women, and that their sexual and romantic satisfaction, disclosure patterns and mechanisms for decreasing further transmission are influenced by emotional connections, feelings of closeness, love, and intimacy, and are often motivated by non-traditional messages about health.
Author: Mackenzie Tewell
Institution: University of South Florida
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W57885510