Predictors of Sexual Scripts Among Young, Sexually-Active, Substance- Using African American Women

Gender and race as correlates of high risk sex behaviors among injection drug users at risk for HIV enrolled in the HPTN 037 study

“…When assessed by race, we found that AA women engaged in transactional sex significantly more than White women. These findings may be rooted in perceptions of and experiences with gender-based power imbalances coupled with immediate economic and social circumstances, as perceived and experienced by AA women in previous research (Adimora et al, 2006a; Adimora et al, 2001; Hill and Andrews, 2017; Hill et al, 2017). Sexual scripts for AA women may be reinforced by a combination of distal causes (legacy of slavery, exploitation, etc.)…”

“…The traditional sexual script of condomless sex offers men more sexual autonomy, opportunities for sexual satisfaction, and well-being than it does women (Amaro, 2001; Masters et al, 2013). Scripts provide widely shared gender and culture-specific guides for sexual behaviors (Bowleg et al, 2015; Hill et al, 2017). They also offer a blueprint of predictable responses to sexual cues and dictate how men and women behave sexually (Hill et al, 2016; McLellan-Lemal et al, 2013; Roye et al, 2013;).…”

“…Stephens and Phillips (2005) led the focus of females' sexual script development research on AA women. Qualitative research has found that within sexual scripts among AA women, the power in the heterosexual relationship favors the man (McLellan-Lemal et al, 2013), supporting a dynamic where women may be vulnerable to the decisions made by her male partner (Hill, et al, 2017; Hill et al, 2016; Martyn and Hutchinson, 2001; McLellan-Lemal et al, 2013). This illustrates the intersectionality of the SST and TGP.…”

“…Few research agendas have explored demographic correlates of high risk sex behavior with a hypothesis that stems from a theoretical framework comprised of the SST and TGP (Hill and Andrews, 2017; Hill et al, 2017; Hill et al, 2016). In a study where 44 heterosexually active men and women aged 18-25 years were interviewed, men preferred recreational sex, valued sex over relationships, and sought out multiple sex partners, while women preferred sex in the context of commitment and monogamy and sought emotional intimacy and trust with sex (Masters et al, 2013).…”

“…Justification of multiple partners among women entailed conforming to traditional gender roles of being desired, but not desiring sex. The sexual script of women enrolled in a study of 30 substance-using, AA women ages 18-25 years involved use of sex as a partner pleasing tool to elicit a stronger emotional response (i.e., like, love) from the male partner and to fulfill what they perceived as their obligation in the relationship (Hill and Andrews, 2017; Hill et al, 2017). In addition, sexual scripts here condomless sex is normative were associated with a defined phase within a long-term relationship where women deemed their partner trustworthy (Hill and Andrews, 2017).…”