African American Women, AIDS, and Resiliency

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ongoing shifts in the populations affected by the AIDS epidemic are reflected in the increasing proportion of AIDS cases in women-particularly women of color. While African American women represent approximately 13% of the U.S. female population, in 2000, 63% of all reported AIDS cases in women in the United States were among African American/non-Hispanic women. Despite these statistics, relatively few studies in the area of HIV research target African American women exclusively. As part of a larger study, we asked 105 African American women to describe in their own words how their lives have changed since becoming HIV positive. Despite multiple past and current stressors, the majority of participants provided responses that were decidedly positive. Clinical implications as well as future research directions based on these findings are discussed.