Women living with HIV: sexual behaviors and counseling experiences

Seventy-two ethnically diverse women attending two outpatient HIV clinics in Los Angeles self-administered questionnaires. Nineteen women (26%) reported sexual activity in the two months prior to the survey; most were sexually monogamous and emotionally involved with live-in male partners. According to self-reports, 13 women (18% of the total sample and 68% of those who were sexually active) had engaged in at least one form of risky sexual activity. The majority (81%) of sexual partners were aware of the respondent's HIV infection, but most (67%) were seronegative. Post-test counseling was reportedly noncomprehensive (e.g., 47% of the respondents did not recall receiving information about using condoms correctly). Few women accessed HIV support services. Results underscore the need for more effective counseling and support interventions for this population.