‘But You Looked Smart’: Participant Observations of HIV Testing and Counseling for Young Adults

• Authors: Malynnda A. Johnson
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In recent years, a consistent increase of new HIV infections in young adult populations has been reported. One argument is that this population does not receive adequate information or support to promote healthy behavior choices. The current study provides direct evaluation of services and communication about prevention provided to young adults by trained counselors to identify critical issues that could illuminate ongoing barriers. Six clinic sites surrounding a large Midwest university were evaluated. Through participant observations and interviews, this analysis demonstrates that while the rapid HIV test has increased the opportunity for counseling to take place, numerous areas of concern still exist including access to testing, the use of judgmental language, as well as the presence of both halo and horn effect.

Keywords

EN

barriers to testing; HIV counseling; heterosexual risk; low risk; young adults

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: International Review of Social Research
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 51-67

Dates

published

2013-06-01

online

2015-05-06

Contributors

author

Malynnda A. Johnson

• Department of Communication, Carroll University

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/irsr-2013-0010