Marseille 2007
Marseille 2007
Abstract book
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Abstract #139  -  Title: Why I thought I would not get HIV: assumptions, misrecognitions, and optimism.
Session:
  18.4: Risk Perception (Parallel) on Monday @ 14.00-16.00 in CP Chaired by Elizabeth Brown, Yusef Azad
Authors:
  Presenting Author:   Ms Jeanne Ellard - University of New South Wales, Australia
 
  Additional Authors:   
Aim:
In Australia the majority of HIV infections occur among gay men. This community has been very effective in containing the rates of infection. However in the post antiretroviral (ARV) therapy era there has been an increase in HIV risk practices and also rises in new HIV infections. One of the most commonly cited explanations for this has been that the introduction of more effective treatments has made gay men less concerned about HIV and more willing to take sexual risks. This paper examines the salience of this explanation in light of accounts given by gay men recently diagnosed with HIV.
 
Method / Issue:
The data for this paper are drawn from in-depth interviews with Sydney gay men who participated in the Risk Factors for HIV infection study. The study documents understandings of the event or events they believe led to their seroconversion. The interviews were read to identify patterns, inconsistencies and themes. The analysis for this paper was developed with reference to themes emergent from the interview narratives and in light of relevant literature on gay men, HIV and sexual risk.
 
Results / Comments:
Many of the participants were initially very distressed by their HIV diagnosis and concerned about their health and future quality of life. Many of men had minimal or no knowledge of ARV therapy prior to seroconversion and did not regard HIV as a manageable chronic illness. While these men often had sophisticated levels of knowledge about HIV transmission risk, they were less knowledgeable about HIV prevalence in inner-Sydney where most of them sought their sexual partners
 
Discussion:
These accounts of sexual risk and HIV infection challenge the proposition that HIV optimism is a key factor in recent increases in sexual risk behaviours. The introduction of ARV therapy has greatly benefited those living with HIV but it has perhaps also inadvertently made HIV less visible in the daily lives of gay men. The decreased visibility of HIV contributes to some gay men making inaccurate assumptions about the prevalence of HIV in their community and the serostatus of potential partners. Consequently some gay men underestimate the level of risk involved in particular sexual encounters.
 
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