Despite the high rate of HIV infection among low-income African American women, research suggests that perceptions of HIV risk among this population are not elevated compared to other groups. It is evident that an individual’s subjective perception of risk is based on a multiplicity of both internal and external factors, including relationship context and cultural worldview. This study examines the contribution of cultural worldview to low-income African American women’s HIV risk perception. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted on a community sample of low-income African American women (N = 196). Results demonstrate that when partner infidelity was controlled, financial independence and interpersonal control were significant predictors of perceived HIV risk, with lack of power related to elevated levels of perceived risk. When relationship power and HIV knowledge were taken into account, cultural worldview was a significant negative predictor of perceived risk, with high levels of fatalism associated with low perceived risk. Findings suggest that knowledge alone is not enough to explain HIV risk perception. The role of cultural worldview must be taken into account.
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