HIV/AIDS-Related Research in US Higher Education Journals: A Content Analysis

In the United States, HIV disproportionately affects people 13-45 years old, people of color, people in the south, and men who have sex with men. Given the growing number of postsecondary students within these demographic groups, this presents an equity issue and raises concerns for how higher education researchers and practitioners choose to engage problems of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in U.S. college contexts. Using a content analysis methodology and Endarkened Feminist Epistemological lens, we examined a decade of HIV/AIDS-related research published in 113 higher education journals. Our findings suggest a generally limited focus on HIV/AIDS in college contexts and overrepresentation of quantitative methods in available scholarships. Furthermore, despite widening HIV/AIDS diagnosis gaps, researchers rarely nuanced identity and most often focused on 4 individual choices rather than systemic structures.

Automated summary

This article examines the issues faced by higher education researchers and practitioners in addressing HIV/AIDS in the college context in the United States. The study finds limited focus on HIV/AIDS in college environments and an overemphasis on quantitative research methods. Additionally, researchers rarely discuss identity nuances and tend to focus on individual choices rather than systemic structures.