This book addresses the gap which exists exists in the literature on how women's behavior increases their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, especially with regard to women who have suffered childhood sexual abuse or family trauma.

With much of the research on HIV risk being done on men, a gap exists in the literature on how women's behavior increases their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, especially with regard to women who have suffered childhood sexual abuse or family trauma. Women with a past history of abuse or trauma often feel powerless and therefore have less ability to make safe sexual decisions for themselves. This book addresses these women specifically, as they are particularly vulnerable to a host of risky behaviors, such as engaging in unprotected sex, a lack of assertiveness about practicing safe sex, and a tendency to choose partners with high incidents of HIV infection. Utilizing longitudinal research, the authors have identified the mediational nature of the process of how traumatic events in childhood lead to increased HIV risk as adults. The book: Approaches the outcomes of childhood maltreatment systematically, Demonstrates for the first time the need to examine the mediators of abuse, the indirect paths from childhood experiences to adult behaviors, Offers useful measures of HIV risk based on risky behaviors, Presents a feminist analysis of cultural norms that support HIV risk in women. The research presented clarifies present conceptualizations of interpersonal power, and gender's impact on the process and negotiation of, and desire to engage in, safer sexual practices. Knowing the importance of mediators will enable counselors and therapists to intervene on these variables at an early stage, thereby helping to reduce the incidence of subsequent risky behavior.