GETTING TESTED IS ALMOST LIKE GOING TO THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS: DISCORDANT DISCOURSES SURROUNDING HIV TESTING AMONG EAST AFRICAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN

<p>Maria De Jesus</p>

GETTING TESTED IS ALMOST LIKE GOING TO THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS: DISCORDANT DISCOURSES SURROUNDING HIV TESTING AMONG EAST AFRICAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN

Maria De Jesus

American University, USA

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

Washington, DC, has the highest AIDS diagnosis rate in the USA, and Black women are disproportionately affected. Although HIV testing is the first entryway into vital treatment services, evidence reveals that foreign-born blacks have a lower rate of recent HIV testing than US-born blacks. To date, however, there are no studies that examine the culture-specific perceptions of HIV testing among East African immigrant women (who comprise a large share of Black Africans in DC) to better understand their potential barriers to testing. Adopting the PEN-3 cultural model as our theoretical framework, the main objective of this study was to examine East African women’s HIV testing perceptions and partner communication norms. Between October 2012 and March 2013, trained interviewers conducted a total of 25 interviews with East African women in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. For triangulation purposes, data collection consisted of both in-depth, semistructured interviews and cognitive interviews, in which participants were administered a quantitative survey and assessed on how they interpreted items. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed a systematic pattern of discordant responses across participants. While they were aware of messages related to Western public health discourse surrounding HIV testing, divergent sociocultural expectations rooted in cultural and religious beliefs prevailed. Implications of using a culture-centered model to examine the role of sociocultural expectations in HIV prevention research and to develop culturally responsive prevention strategies are discussed.