Down Low Sex, Older African American Women, and HIV Infection

The phenomenon of down low sex, wherein men involved in monogamous relationships with women seek extrarelationship sexual relations with men, has gained recognition in recent years. This study addressed the issue of down low sex in a group of African American women whose long-term sexual partners had become infected with HIV during extramarital sexual encounters with men. A grounded theory methodology was used to explore the experiences of 11 women in individual interviews that were sensitive to the intimate nature of their experiences. Themes shown in the data focused on (a) being betrayed and losing trust; (b) reflecting upon the features of the past relationship; (c) seeking the positive aspects of the past relationship; (d) being ashamed before God, community, and family; and (e) assuming the caregiver role and sharing the burden of illness. The study identified the strong influence of positive long-term relationships on life decisions of women following a diagnosis of HIV, despite the extrarelationship sexual activities of their partners.

Key words: African American, AIDS, grounded theory, HIV, women