Rape was defined as incidents that involved unwanted vaginal, anal, or oral penetration that was either forced or involved the threat of force or harm. The rape victims in the sample were between the ages of 18 and 48 years. Interviews with the women obtained information on demographic variables, preference for information about HIV during sexual assault exams, level of fear or concern about getting HIV from the rape, victims' reasons for HIV concerns, posttraumatic stress disorder symptom intensity, and sexual assault characteristics. Just over 90 percent of the women reported some immediate fear or concern about HIV during rape or postrape, and 73 percent reported extreme fear or concern during rape or postrape. The majority of the women reported first having such fears during the assault. Self-reported reasons for fear or concern about HIV included anxiety about the assailant having raped others, the view that HIV is common, the assailant being a stranger, and the physical appearance of the assailant. The majority of recent rape victims (82 percent) reported wanting to receive more information about HIV at the time of the postrape exam. Women raped by strangers were more fearful or concerned about risk for HIV from the rape than women assaulted by someone they knew. Implications of these findings are drawn for rape counselors and for public information about HIV risks from rapists known to the victims as well as strangers. 2 tables and 12 references