Amsterdam 2015
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| Abstract #2190 - Family matters: Relationships and HIV | ||||
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Session: 28.2: Family matters: Relationships and HIV (Parallel) on Thursday @ 11.30-13.00 in C002 Chaired by Eline Op de Coul, Francine Cournos Authors: Presenting Author: Mrs Adeline Bernier - Coalition PLUS, France |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: The sexuality of people living with HIV (PLHIV) is a key issue in the fight against HIV, as it influences both the dynamic of the epidemic and the quality of life of PLHIV. Very few data about the consequences of HIV diagnosis on PLHIV’s sexuality are currently available. The objective of the present study was to identify the factors associated with cessation of sexual relations after HIV diagnosis among men and women in 5 countries: Mali, Morocco, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Romania and Ecuador. | ||||
| Method / Issue: The community-based cross-sectional “Partages” study was developed and implemented by a mixed international research consortium [researchers/community-based organizations (CBO)]. A convenience sample of 1500 PLHIV in contact with CBOs was recruited in outpatient treatment centers (300 per country). After having provided written informed consent, participants were administered a standardized 125-item questionnaire by trained CBO members. A weighted multivariate logistic regression and a separate gender analysis were performed. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Among the 1413 participants, 471 (33%) declared that they stopped having sexual relations after their HIV diagnosis, including 318 women (42%) and 153 men (23%) (p<0.001). Concerning women, variables associated with the cessation of sexual relations in the final multivariate model were mainly related with relational factors and the possibility of getting social support (e.g. needing help to disclose HIV serostatus, feeling lonely every day, finding support in CBOs, being in a couple). Men's sexual activity was more associated with their representations and their perception of the infection (e.g. thinking they will have their HIV infection for the rest of their life, perceiving the HIV infection as a mystery, perceiving the infection as serious). Furthermore, the following variables were associated with both men and women sexual behaviours: being older, having suffered from serious social consequences after serostatus disclosure as well as being able to regularly discuss about HIV with their steady partner. | ||||
| Discussion: In all the contexts of the study, PLHIV’s sexuality can be strongly affected by the announcement of HIV seropositivity and may result in the cessation of sexual relations. Women seem to be more likely to interrupt sexual activity because of HIV, and overall, their sexual behaviour is related to relationship issues and to social support, both mobilisable and mobilized. For HIV positive men, sexual behaviour seems to be more related to individual and representational issues surrounding the infection. These results suggest clear differences between men and women regarding cessation of sexual relations and highlight the importance of implementing gender-based interventions that promote safe and satisfying sexuality, as it is known to have a positive impact on the overall well-being of PLHIV. | ||||
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