97. Socialization and Negotiation Around HIV Risk and Sexual Relationship Development Among Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: Three Spheres of Influence, Three Conflicting Messages

Abstract

Adolescents and youth aged 15-24 account for 41% of new HIV infections globally. Most incident cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where the overwhelming majority of infections are sexually transmitted. HIV prevention scientists have shifted their focus from the individual's sexual behavior toward an understanding of sexual transmission as a dyadic process. Because dyads are imbedded in and influenced by a larger sociocultural structure, a better understanding of this structure is needed to inform efforts to change the course of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.