Silences, Gestures, and Words: Nonverbal and Verbal Communication About HIV/AIDS and Condom Use in Black Heterosexual Relationships

Abstract

This qualitative study examined how 27 Black men and women, ages 22 to 50 years, in heterosexual relationships communicated verbally and nonverbally about HIV/AIDS and condom use before first time sex. Although most interviewees reported no HIV/AIDS communication, most noted communication about condom use. Verbal condom communication focused typically on requests and declarations, whereas nonverbal communication centered on the presentation of condoms. Women were more likely to communicate about condoms verbally, whereas men were more likely to do so nonverbally. Interviewees who communicated about condom use were more likely than those who did not to report first-time condom use. We discuss these findings and their implications within the context of relationship and sociocultural factors relevant to HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was supported by a grant to Lisa Bowleg from the Collaborative HIV Prevention Research in Minority Communities Program, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco (National Institutes of Mental Health Grant 5P50 MH42459). We are especially grateful to the study's interviewees and Shawn White, Research Associate, Department of Community Health and Prevention, Drexel University, who conducted the consensus analyses between the first and second authors' coding.