A Meta-synthesis on Perceptions of Possibility for HIV Infection Among Cisgender and Heterosexual Women

Introduction: Nineteen percent of new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2022 occurred in women. One barrier to HIV prevention is low perception of possibility of infection. We explored the qualitative data on perception of chances of HIV infection in women to elucidate how women conceive potential for infection. Methods: Included articles were published between 2014 and 2024 with information on women, HIV, and perception of potential for infection. The codebook was created from emerging and theoretical constructs. Articles were coded using Dedoose. Codes were reviewed for cross-cutting themes and summaries created. Confidence in review findings was assessed with the CERQual approach. Results: The meta-synthesis included twenty papers. These included four papers focused on women engaged in substance use and five focused on Black individuals. Four themes emerged: women controlled aspects of their lives and altered possible exposures with the use of condoms or needle exchange programs, women knew they could not control all their potential exposures, misinformation and incomplete information affected women’s ability to assess their exposures, and perceptions of potential for infection were dynamic and dependent on current priorities in their lives. Conclusions: Women assessed their possibility for HIV based on their perception of control, their access to information, and based on life circumstances. Understanding how women think about their potential for infection can allow healthcare professionals to better counsel women on their chances of HIV transmission, leading to greater HIV prevention.