HIV risk behaviors become survival techniques for aboriginal women

In northern Alberta, the Aboriginal (native) female population appears to be overrepresented in the HIV statistics. A qualitative research study was designed to explore the cultural factors that relate to the high HIV infection rate in these women. Eight HIV-positive women were interviewed for the study, representing about one third of the population. A model was developed to explain the relationships that exist between the women's formative years, their self-esteem, and the survival techniques they used prior to becoming HIV-positive. These survival techniques may have placed them in situations that increased their risk of infection with the HIV virus.