O women are more likely to contract via high risk

Are women more likely to contract HIV through unprotected heterosexual intercourse than men?
o Women are more likely to contract via high-risk heterosexual contact (~86% of all
women who contract and vs ~12% of men)
o Men are more likely to contract via male-to-male sexual contact (~79% of all men who
contract)
 Incubation time varies greatly (3-6 months after initial infection to show and result)
o For HIV-positive adults who receive no medical treatment, AIDS will develop in 8-10
years
o Opportunistic infections are characteristic of the disease
 Possible Warning Signs of HIV
o Rapid weight loss (wasting syndrome)
o Dry cough
o Recurring fever or profuse night sweats
o Profound and unexplained fatigue
o Swollen lymph glands in the arm pits, groin, or neck

o Diarrhea lasting more than 1 week
o White spots on tongue, in mouth or throat
o Pneumonia
o Memory loss, depression
 AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)
o An AIDS diagnosis occurs when a person has a dangerously low CD4 count (below 200
cells per cubic milliliter of blood) or contracts one or more opportunistic infections (e.g.,
Kaposi’s sarcoma, TB, cervical cancer, or pneumonia)
 Testing is the only sure way to know if individual is infected
 Prevention of HIV transmission
o Abstinence or mutual monogamy
o Use latex condoms for protection
o No needle sharing
o Avoid high-risk sex (with prostitutes or injection drug users or unprotected with infected
individuals)
o Screen pregnant women
Why higher rates of STIs among African Americans?
 Represent 14% of the US population
 Account for:
o 1/3 of all reported chlamydia cases
o Almost ½ of all syphilis cases
o 2/3 of all reported gonorrhea cases
1. Social environment & prevalence of STIs
2. Financial difficulties
3. Higher rates of incarceration
4. Distrust of medical system
Tuskegee Experiment
 Intent was to study the natural progression of syphilis among African American men
 Most participants (N=600, n=399 with syphilis) were poor and illiterate sharecroppers in
Alabama
o Enticed with free medical care, food, and burial insurance
 Study was from 1932 – 1972
o After funding for treatment was lost, the study continued without informing the men they
would never be treated
o None of the men infected was ever told he had the disease
o In 1947, we knew that penicillin was a treatment of syphilis, but treatment was withheld
 Affected the men, their wives, and children
Healthy Relationships
Intimate Relationships
 Relationships with family, friends, romantic partners
 Four Characteristics:

1. Behavioral interdependence – mutual impact people have on each other as their lives and
daily activities intertwine
2. Need fulfillment – fulfill psychological needs
o Intimacy – share feelings
o Social integration – share worries and concerns
o Nurturance – take care of/takes care of us
o Assistance – helps us in times of need
o Affirmation – reassures us of our own worth & tells us we matter
3. Emotional attachment – feelings of love; not just sex
4. Emotional availability – ability to give and receive from others emotionally without fear of
being hurt or rejected
Relating to Yourself
 Influences relationship choices
o