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

Abstract

BackgroundWhile a large body of evidence indicates increased alcohol and other drug use among young people as a way of mitigating the psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence around the use of sex fir such mitigation is scarce. Most of what we know about sex during COVID-19 lockdowns is largely based on solitary sexual practices, which may not answer the critical question around how the pandemic may be shaping sexual practices of young people. Against the backdrop, this study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic may be shaping blood-borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections (BBVs/STIs) risk and protective practices among African and Asian international students in Sydney, Australia. MethodsThis phenomenological qualitative study involved a semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews with 16 international university students in Sydney, between September 2020–March 2021. Generated data were coded 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 BBVs/STIs got lesser attention. ConclusionThis study indicates a need for comprehensive public health response to the evolving and near-endemic COVID-19 situation. Such comprehensive approach should focus on empowering young people to prevent both the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the sexual spread of BBVs/STIs, especially among highly vulnerable groups.