Another ethical challenge would be keeping the status of individuals from their significant others. Women are often in relationships where the power and economic disparities require them to remain in those relationships for mere survival. Should their status become known by their partner this may threaten the longevity of the union. Additionally, some women are engage in sex work. These women may choose not use condoms or have their partner use them. The knowledge of their status may negatively affect relational and economic opportunities for many women.

Interpreting the results of this study should be limited to women. The study utilizes a sample containing White and African-American women. Thus it would be inappropriate to use the work to make statements about male populations. This limitation is important since the mechanisms under examination...

The study only explores the phenomenon within White and African-American populations. While the issue is present in other populations such as Latino and Asians, the study should be utilized sparingly, since cultural elements may modify the nature of the interaction between the key factors.
It should also be noted that the work is limited to a heterosexual population. The challenge of HIV and AIDS exists in lesbian populations. However, this study cannot adequately relate to this truth since the examination focused on heterosexual women. Lesbian women do not face the challenge of transmission via a male partner. This factor may seriously change the outcomes of the study.