Improving HIV medical care engagement by attending to status disclosure and social support

ABSTRACT

Expeditious linkage and consistent engagement in medical care is important for people with HIV’s (PWH) health. One theory on fostering linkage and engagement involves HIV status disclosure to mobilize social support. To assess disclosure and social support’s association with linkage and engagement, we conducted a qualitative study sampling black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM of color) in the U.S. Participants' narratives presented mixed results. For instance, several participants who reported delaying, inconsistent access, or detachment from care also reported disclosing for support purposes, yet sporadic engagement suggests that their disclosure or any subsequent social support have not assisted. The findings contribute to the literature that questions disclosure and social support’s influence on care engagement, especially when decontextualized from circumstances and intentions. Our findings suggest the mechanics of disclosure and social support require planned implementation if intending to affect outcomes, especially among MSM of color. From the findings, we explore steps that may bolster interventions seeking to anchor medical care engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Disclosure
• social support
• HIV medical care engagement
• black men who have sex with men
• Latino men who have sex with men

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract to Research Support Services, Inc.: 200-2013-57341/0001.