‘It changes everything’: the impact of HIV-related stigma on sexual health and intimacy among African American women

Abstract

Little is known about the experiences of sexual health and intimacy among African American women living with HIV, who account for more than 50% of the women living with HIV in the USA. Public discourse surrounding the sexual health of this population often centres on HIV prevention and transmission. Medical advances such as antiretroviral therapy, biomedical interventions to prevent transmission, and treatment as prevention campaigns highlight the changing trajectory of the illness and the need for a more comprehensive examination of sexuality in relation to HIV-related disease. HIV-related stigma has been found to play a pivotal role in these experiences impacting the self-perceptions, interpersonal relationships and sexual behaviours of women living with HIV. This study utilised a phenomenological approach to examine the ways in which HIV-related stigma impacts the sexual health and experiences of intimacy among African American women living with HIV. In depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with 16 African American women in Upstate New York revealed three emergent themes: (1) rejecting relationships; (2) navigating relationships; and (3) processing sexuality. Findings from the study highlight the ways in which HIV-related stigma affects the sexual health of African American women living with HIV and subsequently results in the renegotiation of sexuality.

Keywords:

• African American women
• HIV-related stigma
• sexual health
• intimacy
• phenomenology

Acknowledgements

We extend our deepest gratitude to study participants who openly shared their stories and experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability

Due to the nature of this research, participants in this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data is not available.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.