Crooks Natasha, Barrie Rabiatu, Singer Randi, Donenberg Geri
Department of Human Development Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, 845 S. Damen Avenue, Room 816, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
School of Public Health, Department of Family Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Arch Sex Behav. 2023 May;52(4):1389-1402. doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02529-2. Epub 2023 Jan 18.
Black girls and women are disproportionately impacted by sexual health disparities, including an increased risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Early sexual development among Black females heightens their risk of HIV/STI. Utilizing the Becoming a Sexual Black Woman (SBW) framework, this study sought to understand how early sexual development and stereotype messages may underpin HIV/STI risk, building on and furthering the discussion of the consequences of the SBW schema. To better understand this phenomenon, we conducted a secondary thematic data analysis from two previously completed grounded theory studies with Black girls and women ranging in age from 11 to 62 (N = 40). Findings revealed that Black women have been socialized to be strong and independent and yet are highly vulnerable to HIV/STI. This clash between Black girl's and women's ideals of strength and heightened vulnerability to HIV/STI presents a paradox that may help explain disparities in HIV/STI risk. Four themes emerged among both Black girls and women: complex construction of the SBW schema, burden and consequences of strength, pressure to be strong, and being strong and sexual. Findings also highlight how becoming both a strong and sexual Black woman occurs over the life course and is inherent to Black female sexual development. We discuss the implications of these findings for parents, healthcare providers, educators, and researchers with the aim to improve sexual health outcomes for Black females across the life course.
黑人女孩和女性在性健康差异方面受到的影响尤为严重，包括感染艾滋病毒和性传播感染（STI）的风险增加。黑人女性的性早熟增加了她们感染艾滋病毒/性传播感染的风险。本研究利用“成为性成熟黑人女性”（SBW）框架，试图了解性早熟和刻板印象信息如何可能成为艾滋病毒/性传播感染风险的基础，在此基础上进一步探讨SBW模式的后果。为了更好地理解这一现象，我们对两项先前完成的扎根理论研究进行了二次主题数据分析，研究对象是年龄在11岁至62岁之间的黑人女孩和女性（N = 40）。研究结果表明，黑人女性在社会化过程中被塑造得坚强独立，但却极易感染艾滋病毒/性传播感染。黑人女孩和女性在力量理想与对艾滋病毒/性传播感染的高度易感性之间的这种冲突呈现出一种悖论，这可能有助于解释艾滋病毒/性传播感染风险的差异。在黑人女孩和女性中都出现了四个主题：SBW模式的复杂构建、力量的负担和后果、表现坚强的压力以及既坚强又性感。研究结果还强调了成为一名既坚强又性感的黑人女性是如何在生命历程中发生的，并且是黑人女性性发育所固有的。我们讨论了这些研究结果对父母、医疗保健提供者、教育工作者和研究人员的意义，旨在改善黑人女性在整个生命历程中的性健康结果。
