Buffie Longmire-Avital, an assistant professor in psychology, presented her research at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit through the American Psychological Association in Atlanta Jan. 14-16.
[/caption]The poster was titled, “‘I Asked for the Papers’: How Emerging Adult Women Request Sexual Health Information.” It was presented at the annual counseling and clinical division of the APA conference.The research presented examined how emerging adult (18–29) heterosexually active black American women illicit sexual health (e.g., number of current or recent partners, STI history, HIV status) information from their current male partners. Results from this mixed-method online survey found that the timing of request was correlated with the women’s perception of a gender ratio imbalance and when they introduced their partner to family. Most of the women reported at “blunt” and straightforward approach or engaged in joint disclosure to request sexual health information. The most common reasons for not requesting the information included an assumption of good health, the casual status of relationship and fear for relationship loss. Funding for this research was through a summer fellowship Faculty Research and Development award.