High communion was associated with WCR when social support was high (p-value for interaction term=.034). T1-T4 WCR was only predicted by T1-T2 self-efficacy increase (β=−.17, p=.024). One plausible explanation of the results is that agentic women are more successful at weight loss because they are less affected by feminine self-sacrificing role demands. However, also communal women, sensitive to their social environment, succeed well when backed up by social support for their personal goal pursuit. African-Americans experience disparately high rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI); these rates are increasing among rural drug-using communities. However, sexual risk reduction interventions for drug users have traditionally focused on urban populations. We used qualitative techniques to understand rural African-American cocaine users' perspectives on sexual risk and HIV/STI so that we could tailor an existing intervention to this underserved population. Using purposive sampling, 40 African-American cocaine users from two rural towns were recruited to participate in four focus groups, which were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Three investigators coded the data using content analysis and constant comparison. Three major themes emerged: HIV knowledge and beliefs, selling & buying sex, and perceptions of condom use. Participants held many inaccurate beliefs about HIV, including how to identify high-risk partners. Attitudes about HIV testing varied by gender, with women being more accepting; however, most were doubtful about effective HIV treatments. Most participants had complex beliefs about trading sex, with "survival sex" seen as acceptable but "tricking for drugs" as unacceptable, despite reports that both types were common. Both men and women were socially classified as "dirty" or "nasty" based in large part on sexual trading behaviors. Participants viewed condoms as protective against HIV and STI, but also reported strong resistance to condom use by both men and women. They reported using hygiene as a proxy for gauging a potential partner's risk and therefore the importance of condom use. Significant knowledge deficits, high-risk beliefs, and social pressures appear to converge on rural African-American cocaine users and contribute to increased HIV and STI rates. These findings were incorporated into a social cognitive theory-based intervention to address these challenges and reduce risk behaviors. The growing amount of youth in the United States living with HIV/AIDS is a persistent problem. Not only has the number of newly infected 15 to 29 year olds consistently increased over the last decade, the emergence of antiretroviral therapy has meant that those born with HIV are growing into adolescence and beyond.