Working women in the sex industry and their perception of risk from HIV/AIDS

Coping with HIV/AIDS in Durban's commercial sex industry

This paper describes coping mechanisms used by commercial sex workers (CSWs) and their partners in confronting the threat of HIV. Data are part of a study exploring sexuality and HIV-related issues among members of the Durban commercial sex industry. Participants were 100 female CSWs, 25 male trucker driver clients and ten male personal partners. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Analysis revealed high HIV-awareness and high prevalence of risky sexual behaviour. While they were acutely aware of the sex industry's potential role in HIV spread, study participants chose to remain sexually involved and engage in high risk sexual practices with both professional and personal partners. Men and women adopted several strategies to cope with the possibility of HIV infection: (1) denial of risk, (2) fatalism, (3) economic rationalization, (4) partner categorization through selective condom use, (5) purposeful ignorance of HIV status, and (6) abnegation of responsibility for practising safe sex. Among the most significant findings is the difference in study participants' handling of HIV risk and employing coping mechanisms in personal versus professional sexual situations. The implications of these coping strategies for HIV education, message development and intervention in the commercial sex industry and in general are discussed.

Female injecting drug users: human immunodeficiency virus risk behavior and intervention needs

Injecting drug use and heterosexual contact are the major exposure categories for women acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) risk perception, perceived seriousness of HIV, drug use self-efficacy, sexual self-efficacy, and social support for HIV/AIDS risk behavior among female injecting drug users (IDUs). A random sample of 140 female IDUs was interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Self-efficacy for preventive sexual behavior and social support were predictive of condom use with primary partners P = .01 and P = .001, respectively. Self-efficacy for preventive drug use was predictive of risky injection behavior (P = .004) and risky injection location (P = .003). The results suggest that HIV prevention programs targeting female IDUs should include strategies that incorporate their support networks and strengthen preventive self-efficacy. Brief intervention strategies that nurses can carry out with female IDUs are suggested.

College Students' AIDS Risk Perception

1. Students in this study appraised their AIDS risk using their sexual and drug-use behavior as criteria, which accurately reflects their knowledge of HIV transmission. 2. AIDS risk perceptions were not always congruent with the students' self-reported sexual and drug use behavior. Some students reporting high-risk behavior perceived their AIDS risk as "nil" or "small." 3. Perceived riskiness of behavior increased as distance from the students increased. The students viewed their friends' AIDS risk as moderately greater than their own risk and their peers' risk even greater.