A Pilot Study of Sexual Communication and Negotiation Among Young African American Women: Implications for HIV Prevention

Recent epidemiological studies indicate that African American female adolescents are at a markedly higher riskfor diagnoses with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) than their White female counterparts. Although epidemiologic data are informatve with respect to monitoring the course of the epidemic and quantifying the differential riskfor AIDSIHIV infection among young Afican American women in relation to other populations, they provide less insight into the influence of the diverse cultural, gender, andpsychosocial determinants ofHIV-associated risk behaviors. Afactor ofparticular importance is communication between sexual partners about condom use. Focus groups were conducted with African American women aged 18 to 25, to explore the process ofsexual communication and barriers toward sexual negotiation of condom use. HlVprevention programs tailored to African American women should emphasize training in sexual negotiation, conflict resolution, and refusal skills.