Current Sexual Behaviors Of Hiv-Positive Women

The incidence of HIV among women of childbearing age in the United States continues to rise. Literature and statistics show that the number of new HIV infections continue to increase, despite the fact that the transmission of the disease is preventable. The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe the current sexual practices on HIV-positive women and to determine whether these behaviors had changed since the diagnosis of HIV. A convenience sample (N = 13) of HIV-positive women was obtained from a support group for HIV-positive women in a metropolitan city in the Southeastern United States. Albert Bandura\u27s Social Learning Theory guided the research study. The participants completed a researcher- devised questionnaire with demographic information and questions regarding previous and current sexual practices. The responses were entered onto a spreadsheet and analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study concluded that although the sample had a decrease in the frequency of sexual activity since the diagnosis of HIV, they 1 1 1 continued to engage in sexual behavior without the use of barrier protection. HIV-positive women expressed fear, lack of interest, and lack of a sexual partner as reasons for sexual behavior changes. Recommendations for further researcher included replication of this study with grounded theory, working with HIV-positive women who are not in a support group, conduction of a study looking at the motivation for changing risk behaviors, and the conduction of a qualitative study exploring the meaning of the experience of being HIV positive