JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 35, No. 1, 3–11 (2007) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/jcop.20130 THE EXPERIENCE OF HIV/AIDS AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN THE NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS Joyce T. Mphande-Finn Missoula YWCA John Sommers-Flanagan The University of Montana The unique experience of HIV/AIDS among rural women in the United States was explored using qualitative interviews with 7 women who are HIV positive. Based on these interviews, eight themes emerged. These included (a) daily powerful emotions, (b) emotional and physical abandonment, (c) romantic betrayal, (d) medical treatment issues, (e) loss and grief, (f) appreciating a good support system, (g) renewed purpose for living, and (h) personal growth and transformation. Results are discussed with regard to future research and practice with rural women with HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on the importance of social support and counseling opportunities in facilitating women’s progress through the emotional process associated with HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. In the 2004 vice presidential debate, Gwen Ifill, an African American news correspon- dent, asked Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards the following ques- tion, “. . . Mr. Vice President.... I want to talk to you about AIDS, and not about AIDS in China or Africa, but AIDS right here in this country, where black women between the ages of 25 and 44 are 13 times more likely to die of the disease than their [white] coun- terparts. What should the government’s role be in helping to end the growth of this epi- demic?” (La Ganga, 2004). Vice President Cheney admitted to being “not aware” of Ifill’s facts and quickly changed the subject; John Edwards fared no better. Their inability to address this question is a metaphor regarding public awareness of AIDS in the United States. BRIEF REPORT Correspondence to: John Sommers-Flanagan, Counselor Education Program, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812. E-mail: john.sf@mso.umt.edu