The risk for contracting HIV/AIDS among women living sub-Saharan Africa continues to remain high. Research has identified a link between perception of HIV risk and health-behavior change. Many studies also demonstrate a discrepancy between an individual's perceived risk and actual risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between HIV risk perception and psychosocial factors including: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem among Malawian women. Participants included 60 Malawian women who were queried about perception of risk of HIV infection, depression and anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem as part of the Malawi Health Behavior Survey. The mean age of women in the study was 30.1 (SD=7.9). The majority of the women in the study had completed Primary (Elementary) education (58%) and reported being in a civil or common law monogamous marriage (76.5%). Contrary to the predicted outcome, symptoms of depression and anxiety were positively correlated with HIV/AIDS risk perception (r=.23 and r=.25). Consistent with the expected outcome, self-esteem was negatively correlated with HIV risk perception (r=-.26). Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to examine the relative contribution of each variable (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, self-esteem) to predict HIV-risk perception. The model was not found to be statistically significant.

This open access book introduces the theoretical frameworks and academic debates concerning sexual cultural practices and HIV/AIDS in Africa. It shows how these frameworks have been applied in a practical sense in Africa to investigate sexual cultural practices and their link with HIV/AIDS. The author provides an overview of both the field of study and the methods used during fieldwork. Finally, it assesses the implications of the findings for the conceptualization and provision of current and future HIV/AIDS policies and programs in Africa. This monograph will appeal to policy makers and practitioners working in the field of HIV/AIDS in the Global South as well as academics and students.

"This report examines the distribution and correlates of two different dimensions of the empowerment of currently married women age 15-49 in 23 developing countries"-- P. xv.

Addresses the need for review and assessment of the framework of interdisciplinary population studies. It includes chapters on anthropology, archaeology, demography, ecology, epidemiology, geography, genomics, human biology, population genetics, social and demographic history, the history of science, and social network analysis.

This book discusses psychiatric disorders among women in a manner that is relevant to clinical practice and keep cultural and social realities in perspective. The book is important in the face of rapidly changing conditions globally (including better education and more opportunities for work for women); challenges such as migration, war and violence and emerging areas such as newer reproductive technologies, Women's mental health cannot be divorced from social and cultural realities and while the book emphasises these areas, it also gives due importance to the current advances in neurobiology and psychopharmacology of psychiatric disorders among women. Chapters in the book are written by multiple authors, many of the chapters use the life stage approach, and have been written by authors from different parts of the world to ensure cultural relevance and diverse viewpoints.