Background: Black South Africans were forced to live under the oppressive regime of apartheid for more than four decades. This system of government not only restricted the economic and educational opportunities for Blacks, but it also marginalized women by encouraging the preservation of a violent, patriarchal society. As a result of a long history of nationalized oppression, Black women in South Africa continue to be an economically and socially vulnerable group. Their vulnerability is translated into limited intimate relationship power, which confers a host of health and safety risks. Thus, the current study explored whether negative life events and/or HIV infection related directly to women’s intimate relationship power or was moderated by community-level variables (knowledge, helpfulness, and use of resources). Method: Participants were 104 women living with HIV and 152 non-infected women, who were recruited in and around Pretoria, South Africa. Two aspects of intimate relationship power were considered: relationship control (e.g. Partner controls what I wear) and decision making dominance (e.g. Who usually decides when you have sex?). Decision-making dominance was divided into three subscales (male dominant, female dominant and mutual). Results: For relationship control, fewer undesirable life changes were associated with more control. For decision-making dominance, several main and interaction effects were observed. Negative serostatus and women’s knowledge of community resources were directly associated with more mutual decision-making. However, more frequent family use of community resources was related to less female dominated decisions. For helpfulness of resources, a significant interaction revealed that women living with HIV/AIDS perceived their male partners as less dominant when they perceived their community resources to be more helpful. Conclusions: Power in intimate relationships may enhance the quality and length of life for Black South African women; thus, it is important to identify factors that promote or compromise power. The results of this study suggest that undesirable life changes, HIV infection, and great reliance on community resources (i.e. frequent use) are negatively associated with perceived relationship power. Alternatively, the current study identified the perceived helpfulness of community resources as one possible factor that promotes relationship power.

Because of the numerous ways to operationalize power, much of the literature about power in relationships has not been cohesive. However, to understand when and how perceptions of power are associated with behaviors in relationships, multiple conceptualizations of power must be considered along with personal characteristics. The present study tested how perceptions of general power and situational power interact to predict negative behaviors during relationship conflict for people of various attachment orientations. Additionally, we tested if effects remained stable or changed over the early years of marriage. We found that low general and low situational influence did interact to predict less hostility than different combinations of influence, which did not support my hypothesis. Largely, we did not find systematic support that attachment style was a relevant moderator in considering influence and negative conflict behavior, with one interaction between general influence, situational influence, gender, and avoidance as an exception. Finally, we found that the proposed effects did not differ over time.

Black women in the United States disproportionately represent 64% of women with an HIV infection (CDC, 2013). Research is needed to better understand gender and culturally-specific factors that contribute to Black women’s HIV risk. The Theory of Gender and Power and the Theory of Planned behavior were used as theoretical frameworks in examining the effect of attitudinal beliefs (gender related beliefs), subjective norm beliefs (peer norms), and perceived behavioral control beliefs (relationship power) on sexual behavior in Black college women. Condom use and assertiveness in sexual communication were the dependent variables. Participants included 136 Black college women recruited through the department of psychology’s subject pool and as student volunteers. Results revealed peer norms as a significant predictor of condom use, and agency and gender ratio imbalance beliefs as significant predictors of perceived relationship power. Findings have implications for understanding social and gender related factors for HIV prevention among Black women.

African American women living in the U.S. face immense challenges to protect themselves from HIV infection. One in every 32 African American women is diagnosed with the disease and heterosexual contact is the primary mode of transmission. A better understanding of the African American woman’s beliefs and decisions related to safe sex practices can give direction to strategies to promote safer sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to explore the association of the African American woman’s attitudinal beliefs, normative beliefs, and relationship control beliefs with self-reported sexual behaviors. The Theory of Planned Behavior served as the study’s theoretical framework, supporting the premise beliefs are precursors to explanations and understanding human behavior. Using a cross-sectional, correlational design, a convenience sample of 95 African American women from the southeastern United States was obtained. Results confirmed a statistically significant 1) positive relationship between gender role beliefs and relationship power, (r = 0.354, p < .001); 2) negative relationship between gender ratio imbalance beliefs and relationship power, (r = -0.472, p < 0.001); 3) positive association between relationship power and avoidance of risky sexual behavior, (r = 0.340, p = 0.001); 4) negative correlation between gender ratio imbalance beliefs and risky sexual behaviors, (r = -0.235, p = 0.022); and 5) positive correlation between safer sexual behavior and peer perceptions of safer sex behaviors, (r = 0.475, p < 0.001). Results from a stepwise multiple regression indicated that relationship power (p = 0.001) and peer perception (p < 0.001) were significant predictors of sexual behavior, accounting for 31% (p < 0.001) of the variance.

xv, 142 p. : ill. (some col.) / Young Latina women are at risk for unwanted pregnancy and sexually-transmitted infections. Researchers have suggested that factors such as self-efficacy and relationship power dynamics may contribute to difficulty in negotiating safe sex practices. For women in heterosexual relationships, the most common prevention practice--condom use--requires partner cooperation. Sociocultural variables related to gender role socialization can adversely affect a woman's ability to negotiate condom use. I developed and tested a model of sociocultural predictors of Latina women's safe sex practices. The predictors included ethnic identity, acculturation, womanist identity, gender role attitudes, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual relationship power. I surveyed 210 young adult Latina women via an online survey that was disseminated across the United States via social networking websites and email. I used path analysis to investigate the fit of the hypothesized model with the data, first to predict condom use and second to predict sexual history exploration. Results indicated that the hypothesized model predicting the safe sex practice of exploring a partner's sexual history had a good fit to the data, whereas the model predicting condom use did not provide an adequate fit to the data. These findings suggest that young adult Latinas' exploration of a partner's sexual history is more likely to occur when women have stronger ethnic identity and womanist identity, more egalitarian gender role attitudes, and higher levels of partner dominance and control in their relationship. The model accounted for 16% of the variance in sexual history exploration. Although the variance explained was low, this model is still informative of the factors that contribute to sexual history exploration. Exploring a potential partner's history is an important aspect of safe sex practices that can have major implications for healthy sexual decision-making. Understanding an individual's cultural identity via ethnic and womanist identity, as well as considering sociocultural (e.g., gender role attitudes) and interpersonal (e.g., relationship power) factors, can inform prevention efforts that will contribute to safe sex behavioral outcomes. Other factors that may contribute to safe sex practice outcomes that were not accounted for by the models are noted. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. / Committee in charge: Dr. Ellen H. McWhirter, Chairperson; Dr. Linda Forrest, Member; Dr. Joseph Stevens, Member; Dr. Lynn Fujiwara, Outside Member

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