The Impace of Culture and Gender on HIV Resilience

Mariam Makram

Most people, especially teenagers, do not know HIV as anything more than an STD and that we are to avoid being infected . . . Past research has shown that the highest percentage of HIV infected patients lies in East Africa. Research has also shown that the HIV population of the United States is rapidly growing. Like all humans, my childhood played a major role in the shaping of my current personality. I personally spent my childhood in Kenya where I witnessed the effects of such a cruel virus. These sights and experiences were embedded in my mind until I moved to the United States in high school and decided to pursue my interested in the virus . . . This study was conducted to research the impact of culture and gender on the resilience of HIV infected patients. It was hypothesized that males would be more resilient than females. It was also hypothesized that it would be more difficult for Africans to cope with being HIV infected than it would be for Americans.