The Burden of Living With HIV is Mostly Overestimated by HIV-Negative and Never-Tested Men Who Have Sex With Men

HIV Transmission Elimination Amsterdam Initiative (H-TEAM)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

To assess whether HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) have realistic views of the current implications of living with HIV, we compared data of 950 tested HIV-negative and 122 never-tested MSM on anticipated consequences of an HIV-infection to the actual experiences of 438 MSM living with HIV. Data were collected with a self-reported, web-based survey conducted between May-June 2019 in the Netherlands. Results indicated that, compared to HIV-positive MSM, HIV-negative MSM significantly overestimated 95% (37/39) of items assessing HIV-related burden. Never-tested participants overestimated 85% (33/39) of items. Overestimation in never-tested MSM was modified with increasing age and having HIV-positive friends/relatives. The high level of overestimation suggests the ongoing need to correct for misperceptions, as this could help reduce stigma towards those living with HIV and diminish fear of an HIV-diagnosis. The latter might be important to improve testing uptake in older never-tested MSM with outdated views on HIV.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3804-3813
Number of pages10
JournalAids and Behavior
Volume25
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2021

Keywords

  • Aged
  • HIV Infections/epidemiology
  • Homosexuality, Male
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Sexual and Gender Minorities
  • Social Stigma
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • HIV/AIDS
  • CONCEPTUAL-FRAMEWORK
  • Men who have sex with men
  • AIDS
  • Burden
  • ATTITUDES
  • Quality of life
  • SAMPLE
  • Social stigma
  • INTERVENTIONS
  • HIV
  • DISCRIMINATION
  • STIGMA
  • HEALTH
  • TESTING BEHAVIORS

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