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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Michael Reece, PhD, MPH, Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, HPER Building 116, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7109, 703-402-9580, mireece@indiana.edu, Paul Plate, MA, Positive Impact Inc., 159 Ralph McGill Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30308, and Bryce Smith, LCSW, Positive Impact, Inc., 159 Ralph McGill Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30308.
Background: Reducing the incidence of HIV remains among our nation's highest public health priorities. In response, public health providers need to continue understanding the factors associated with continued high risk behaviors among individuals living with HIV and develop effective HIV prevention programs. Methods: This study explored the extent to which HIV seropositive individuals perceived themselves to have a responsibility to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners and the extent to which those perceptions were associated with participation in high-risk sexual behaviors. Data were collected from 353 HIV seropositive individuals upon their enrollment into care at an HIV-related mental health clinic. Results: While a large proportion of participants (51%) reported participation in unprotected sexual intercourse, most (64%) perceived themselves to have a high degree of responsibility to disclose their HIV serostatus to sexual partners. Increased perceptions of disclosure responsibility were associated with having been diagnosed with AIDS (t=4.26, p< .05), being of African American or Latino descent (t=2.14, p<.05), and being male (t=2.25, p<.05). Both men and women who reported being the receptive partner in unprotected intercourse, compared to those who had not participated in unprotected intercourse, perceived themselves to have a lower level of responsibility to disclose serostatus to partners (t=-3.64, p<.05; t=-3.07, p<.05). Conclusions: Incorporating cognitive and skills oriented processes related to disclosure responsibility into both HIV prevention and HIV care interventions may play an important role in increasing disclosure behaviors among individuals living with HIV and subsequently facilitate reductions in the incidence of HIV infections.
Learning Objectives: After participating in this session, participants will be able to
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.