Sexualization in the coping process of HIV‐infected gay men

Abstract

This study explores determinants of unsafe sex, specifically in HIV‐infected gay men. It is assumed that safe sex in HIV‐positive men is determined by other factors than in men with an unknown or negative serostatus. For HIV‐positive men it is much less an issue of protecting oneself, and more so an issue of protecting the other. It is hypothesized that for HIV‐positive men, practising safe and unsafe sex is the outcome of a coping process, in which the stress of being infected is mediated by several factors, potentially resulting in a tendency to compulsive sexual behaviour (sexualization). A path analytic test supports the theoretical model. However, sexualization, especially the tendency to have sex to make oneself feel better, is only related to the number of sex partners one has had and not to having practised unsafe sex. This may imply that practising safe and unsafe sex should be much more understood from an interpersonal than an intrapersonal perspective.

Unprotected Anal Intercourse in HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Gay Men: The Relevance of Sexual Arousability, Mood, Sensation Seeking, and Erectile Problems

“…Marks, Bingman, and Duval (1998), for example, found that negative mood was associated with UAI, whereas Robins et al (1994) found the opposite. Sandfort et al (1995) found that the tendency to use sex to improve ones' mood was associated with an increased number of sexual partners, but not with UAI, consistent with our recent findings in gay men (Bancroft, Janssen, Strong, & Vukadinovic, 2003).…”

“…Although there are now opportunities for antiviral treatment that may slow the progression of the infection, the disease does, in any case, have a long course, and while usually fatal, may not cause significant ill health for some years. Some HIV+ individuals will be highly stressed by this state of affairs and withdraw from active sexual life (Sandfort, Clement, Knobel, Keet, & De Vroome, 1995). Others will be concerned to reduce the likelihood of infecting others by ensuring safe sex, or by taking the insertee role in anal intercourse (Van De Ven et al, 2002).…”

Does Effective Depression Treatment Alone Reduce Secondary HIV Transmission Risk? Equivocal Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Depression and other psychiatric morbidity, common among HIV-infected persons [3, 4], is one modifiable factor that is thought to have a major impact on continued engagement in HIV transmission risk behaviors. Theoretical work has linked risky sexual behavior to depression within both psychodynamic [5] and cognitive-behavioral frameworks [6], as depressed mood may be associated with cognitive distortions, maladaptive coping, and/or loss of risk aversion. Depressed mood has also occupied a central role in several related conceptual models of sexual behavior and HIV prevention [7-10] and has been linked in empirical studies to HIV transmission risk behaviors [11-15].…”

Predicting health distress and at‐risk sexual behaviour in a group of Italian asymptomatic HIV‐infected people

“…As reported in the literature, high-risk behaviour probably depends on many factors including personality disorders, degree of assertiveness or, more simply, the extent of the person's knowledge. It is also possible that the frequency of at-risk behaviour varies according to situational features, such as periods with little money, loss of a partner, and occasional intake of alcohol or drugs (Des Jarlis et al, 1995;Jacosberg et al, 1995;Kelly et al, 1995;Kusseling et al, 1996;McCown, 1993;Robins et al, 1994;Sandfort et al, 1995).…”