ations, placing them substantially at risk for all types of victimization including infection with this disease (Clark, Lindner, Armistead, & Austin, 2003). Consequently, studying the relationship between self-concept and self-esteem and HIV/AIDS status and risk may be extremely helpful in developing appropriate social work and public health interventions to reduce African-American women's vulnerability to this disease.
It has been suggested that a central reason why African-American women with HIV/AIDS or at risk for HIV/AIDS are particularly vulnerable is due to their lack of treatment access due to poverty, poor resources in their community, and inadequate education (Black women with AIDSÃ , 1993). Other researchers, including Kaplan, Marks, and Mertens (1997), suggest that African-American women and other ethnic minorities are less comfortable with the mainstream medical establishment than Caucasian women and are more likely to rely on spiritual faith and practices in coping with and adapting to HIV infection. Most significantly, McNair and Prather (2004) suggest that there are fewer programs available to educate and treat poor African-American women who are infected or at risk for HIV/AIDS than are available for white women in similar situations.
The research questions addressed in the study are: 1) To what extent is HIV/AIDS prevalent among African-American women; 2) What specific causal factors are associated with the growing prevalence of HIV/AIDS among African-American women; and 3) Is there a pos
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