HIV testing among lesbian women: social contexts and subjective meanings

This study provides descriptive statistics on prevalence of testing, testing sites, and reasons for testing among lesbian women in the United States. It also provides qualitative data about the social meanings and specific circumstances of their HIV testing experiences. Analysis draws on a sample of lesbian women living in a single large southeastern city. An especially diverse snowball and chain-referral sample of 162 lesbian women was given a questionnaire, and qualitative data were gathered from 24 women participating in three focus groups and from 67 women participating in depth-interviews. A large majority of women in the survey sample (80%) reported at least one test, and more than one in four women were tested five or more times. More than one in ten were tested during drug treatment or while incarcerated. The most common testing sites were clinics and hospitals, and the most common reason women gave was because they "thought they were at risk." Most tests were voluntary rather than mandatory occupational or institutional requirements. The subjective meanings associated with HIV testing, as well as the women's counseling needs before, during, and after testing are analyzed. The implications for a better understanding of lesbian women's sexual health are discussed.