“When the self-test kit comes with the woman, it will be like she is overpowering you”: A qualitative study of men’s and women’s perspectives on HIV self-testing kits in South Africa.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Gender norms and unequal power within intimate relationships can substantially shape whether HIV self-testing is acceptable and safely implemented. In particular, norms positioning men as household decision-makers may make woman-delivered self-test kits appear to challenge male authority, potentially provoking mistrust, conflict, blame, or violence. The authors argue that programs should assess […]
Sexual behaviors, HIV self-testing awareness, and uptake among Young People (YP) attending a Ghanaian high school.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social and gender norms may be important barriers to HIV self-testing among young people. The discussion highlights conservative community expectations around adolescent sexuality, stigma surrounding sexual health discussions, and fear of judgment as factors that may discourage young people from requesting or being seen using HIV self-testing kits. The authors also […]
Impact of a multilevel HIV prevention programme on adolescent girls and young women’s empowerment for risk reduction: A mixed methods evaluation in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study shows that gender norms are central to HIV risk and to the DREAMS theory of change, particularly norms around male authority, female submissiveness, stigma toward girls’ sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service use, and acceptance of violence. While DREAMS contributed to changes in girls’ confidence, aspirations, and peer support, […]
Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Efficacy of Schools Championing Safe South Africa, a Social Norms Intervention to Prevent HIV Risk Behavior and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Among Teenage Boys.
Key Social Norms Takeaways: Correcting misperceived social norms—particularly adolescents’ overestimation of peers’ risky or harmful behaviors—can reduce sexual violence perpetration in the short term. Peer- and school-based normative feedback is especially influential during adolescence, as social environments strongly shape behavior; however, norms change alone is insufficient without reinforcement and complementary behavior change strategies. Objectives: This […]
Correcting misperceived norms: An integrated intervention to prevent adolescent sexual violence and HIV in South Africa.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Misperceived social norms play a central role in shaping adolescents’ attitudes and behaviors related to sexual violence and HIV risk. Adolescents in this study frequently overestimated peers’ acceptance of harmful behaviors (e.g., sexual violence, rigid gender norms) and underestimated prosocial norms (e.g., willingness to intervene, belief in survivors). These misperceptions create […]
Exploring the barriers and facilitators to HIV information and health services among youth in N’Djamena, Chad: a qualitative descriptive study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to sexual taboos, abstinence expectations, gender roles, and community surveillance—strongly shape adolescents’ access to HIV information and services in Chad. The discussion emphasizes that stigma, fear of judgment, and power imbalances with authority figures discourage care-seeking, while trusted peer networks and youth-friendly environments can help shift norms […]
“When he is around, I’ll take the PrEP, but when he is not, I will not take PrEP”: key influences on PrEP use decisions among women attending family planning clinics in Kenya
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to gender power dynamics, partner influence, and HIV-related stigma—play a central role in shaping women’s decisions around PrEP use in Kenya. Norms that prioritize male partner authority, require partner approval, and associate PrEP with HIV treatment create barriers to uptake, delay, and discontinuation. The study highlights that […]
Qualitative evaluation of an edutainment intervention to prevent age-disparate transactional sex in Tanzania: Changes in educational aspirations and gender equitable attitudes towards work
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study demonstrates that edutainment can shift gender norms by modeling alternative roles and behaviors, helping to create an enabling environment where girls’ education is prioritized and restrictive norms—such as male provider expectations and limitations on women’s work—are challenged. These normative shifts matter because they address underlying drivers of age-disparate transactional […]
Overcoming structural violence through community-based safe-spaces: Qualitative insights from young women on oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Kisumu, Kenya.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to gender roles, stigma around HIV and PrEP, and expectations governing young women’s behavior—are deeply embedded within broader systems of structural violence and significantly shape access to HIV prevention services. The study highlights that norms around female respectability, sexuality, and obedience, as well as stigma linking PrEP […]
Motivations for Starting and Stopping PrEP: Experiences of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in the HPTN 082 Trial
Key Social Norms Take-aways: Social norms—particularly those related to gender, sexuality, and HIV stigma—are central to adolescent girls’ and young women’s (AGYW) decision-making around PrEP use, often outweighing individual risk perceptions. The discussion emphasizes that norms such as expectations of male infidelity, acceptance of condomless sex in relationships, stigma linking PrEP to HIV infection or […]