“Compared to COVID, HIV is nothing”: exploring how onshore international students in an Australian City navigate COVID-19 versus BBV/STI risk

Abstract

BackgroundThis study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic may be shaping BBV/STI risk and protective practices among international students. MethodsThis qualitative study interviewed 16 international university students in Sydney. Generated data were processed using NVivo and analysis was guided by reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants experienced elevated mental health distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic and some reported engaging in casual sexual hook-ups as a strategy to seek relief from the mental health distress they experienced. Some of those sexual hook-ups were condomless partly because COVID-related disruptions impacted condom accessibility during lockdowns. Also, the preventive practices of some participants who reported being sexually active during the lockdowns were focused on preventing COVID-19 while BBV/STI got lesser attention.ConclusionThis study indicates a need for comprehensive public health response to the near-endemic COVID-19 situation, that focuses on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and the sexual spread of BBVs and infections.