Optimism, Community Attachment, and
Serostatus Disclosure among HIV-Positive
MSM in Ireland
P Murphy1, D Hevey1, S O’Dea2, N Ní Rathaille2, F Mulcahy2
1.
2.
Research Centre for Psychological Health, School of Psychology, Trinity College
Dublin
Department of GU Medicine and Infectious Diseases, St James’s Hospital
Study Aims
 Investigate the how serostatus disclosure by MSM to casual
partners is influenced by…
 …HIV-related Optimism
 …Community Attachment
HIV-related Optimism
 HIV-related optimism: “favourable feelings about the multiple
outcomes from the use of HIV treatments (e.g., beliefs regarding less
severity of AIDS, reduced risks of HIV transmission, and less need to
use condoms)”
HIV-related Optimism
 Forms of HIV-related optimism…
 …HIV Transmission Optimism
 …HIV Health Optimism
HIV-Related Optimism and Disclosure?
 HIV Transmission Optimism and Disclosure?
 H1: Greater HIV Transmission Optimism will be associated
with greater levels of serostatus disclosure.
 HIV Health Optimism and Disclosure?
 H2: Greater HIV Health Optimism will be associated with
greater levels of serostatus disclosure.
Community Attachment
 Community Attachment: a sense of belonging or rootedness
in a community.
 Often symbolic rather than geographic.
Community Attachment and
Disclosure?
 HIV Community Attachment and Disclosure?
 H3: Greater HIV Community Attachment will be associated
with greater levels of serostatus disclosure.
Community Attachment and
Disclosure?
 Gay Community Attachment and Disclosure?
 H4: Greater Gay Community Attachment will be associated
with lower levels of serostatus disclosure.
Methodology
 Quantitative survey data, analysed using multinomial logistic
regression.
 Eligibility Criteria:
 18 years of age or older
 Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS
 Self-identification as MSM
 At least 1 casual partner in the 6 months prior to participation
Recruitment
 97 participants recruited from the GUIDE clinic at St James’s
Hospital between February 2013 and June 2013
 Participants classified as consistent disclosers, inconsistent
disclosers, and non-disclosers.
Results
 H1: Greater HIV transmission optimism will be associated
with greater levels of serostatus disclosure
?
Results
 H2: Greater HIV Health Optimism will be associated with
greater levels of serostatus disclosure.
Results
 H3: Greater HIV Community Attachment will be associated
with greater levels of serostatus disclosure.
Results
 H4: Greater Gay Community Attachment will be associated
with lower levels of serostatus disclosure.
Implications
 Health optimism is a good thing, but it’s impact on disclosure
may lead to less than optimal outcomes for HIV+ MSM.
 Those highly affiliated with the HIV community may be
disclosing when it is not actually beneficial.
 HIV-related stigma within the gay community does inhibit
disclosure of HIV status and needs to be addressed.
Limitations
 Relationship between HIV Transmission Optimism and
serostatus disclosure could not be tested.
 Identity salience and stigma, or community norms?
 Cannot establish causality.
 Self-selection and response biases.
Acknowledgements
 The Society for the Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
 All of the staff and patients at the GUIDE clinic.
 Professor Fiona Mulcahy, Siobhán O’Dea, Neans Ní
Rathaille.
Questions
?