Homosexual and bisexual men's coping with the AIDS epidemic: Qualitative interviews with 10 non-HIV-tested homosexual and bisexual men

This paper describes how the threat of HIV infection is appraised and coped with by homosexual and bisexual men. Very little is known about men who do not want to be HIV tested, thus non-HIV-tested homosexual and bisexual men have been interviewed in depth about themes concerning their lives during the AIDS epidemic. Men with sexual risk behaviour appeared to be very reluctant to participate, and therefore six men with safe sexual behaviour and four men with unsafe sexual behaviour were interviewed. The results showed that all the men were well informed about AIDS and preventive measures. Reasons for not wanting a test were fear of psychological distress caused by a possible positive test and the fact that no treatment is available. The men who had adopted safe sex appraised their sex lives to have suffered a minor loss but found that sexuality played a subordinate role compared to trust and friendship. The men with risk behaviour considered sexuality to play an important role in their lives. They found condoms a barrier to intimacy and used defensive strategies to manage stress. Most of them were able to exchange social support with their network but had difficulties in setting their own limits. All four men had experienced undertreated traumatic events in their past. The results indicate that knowledge of AIDS and satisfactory social support do not necessarily result in safe sexual behaviour. The role of undertreated traumatic events forming barriers against adopting safe sexual practices should be further studied. Proposals are put forward for future health education programmes.