Parish K, Cotton D, Huszti H, Parsons J; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11; 9: 716 (abstract no. PO-C17-2996).

Huntington Hospital Hemophilia Center, Pasadena, CA.

OBJECTIVE: To elicit information for hypothesis generation about beliefs, attitudes, and values regarding condom use and talking to partners about safer sex, as a developmental investigation of determinants of risk reduction decision making. METHODOLOGY: 28 married men and 23 single men with hemophilia and HIV, and 28 steady female partners of these men responded to a one-hour semi-structured personal interview. Determinants of these behaviors, including advantages, disadvantages, facilitators, and barriers, were elicited and examined by means of qualitative analysis. RESULTS: The principal advantage noted by all groups for both using condoms and talking with one's partner about safer sex was HIV prevention. Men anticipate that their partners will have negative reactions to talking about safer sex. Female partners underscored talking's benefit in helping the couple understand each other better and feel emotionally closer. Disadvantages of condom use included inconvenience, awkwardness, reduced sensation and spontaneity. Men reported that partners were unwilling to use condoms, but women did not report this unwillingness. Facilitators of condom use for both men and women included: greater access, improved physical qualities of condoms, risk of HIV transmission, habit formation, and for men, assurance that the partner wants to use a condom. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that interventions for facilitating risk reduction adherence, for men with hemophilia and HIV and their heterosexual partners, be developed to promote mutual understanding and awareness and enhanced couple communication.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Adult
• Behavior Therapy
• Condoms
• Female
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Hemophilia A
• Humans
• Male
• Research
• Safe Sex
• methods

Other ID:

• 93336918

UI: 102206297

From Meeting Abstracts