HIV disclosure as practice and public policy

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of study participants.

	OHTN Cohort Study	PSHP Cohort Study	Qualitative interviews
Gender
Male	772 (80.7%)	323 (74.1%)	102 (74.1%)
Female	185 (19.3%)	107 (24.5%)	19 (25.9%)
Transwoman	4 (<.01%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (.8%)
Age
20–29	42 (4.4%)	6 (1.4%)	2 (1.6%)
30–39	113 (11.8%)	67 (16.0%)	17 (13.9%)
40–49	369 (38.5%)	195 (46.7%)	52 (42.6%)
50–59	315 (32.8%)	117 (28.0%)	36 (29.5%)
60-	120 (12.5%)	33 (7.9%)	15 (12.3%)
Sexual orientation
Gay/homosexual	542 (56.9%)	222 (52.4%)	79 (64.8%)
Heterosexual	334 (35.1%)	172 (40.6%)	36 (29.5%)
Bisexual	76 (8.0%)	26 (6.1%)	7 (5.7%)
Ethno-racial identification
White	621 (64.8%)	322 (72.9%)	83 (68.0%)
African/Caribbean	206 (21.5%)	56 (12.7%)	24 (19.7%)
Aboriginal	36 (3.8%)	56 (12.7%)	10 (8.2%)
Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, no response	96 (10.0%)	8 (1.8%)	10 (8.2%)
Income
<$20,000 per year	407 (43.3%)	299 (70.0%)	62 (52.8%)
$20,000–39,999	214 (22.8%)	87 (20.4%)	31 (25.4%)
$40,000-	319 (33.9%)	41 (9.6%)	29 (23.8%)
Education
High school	304 (31.7%)	189 (43.0%)	42 (35.0%)
Trade/college/some university	371 (38.7%)	180 (41.0%)	39 (32.5%)
University or post-graduate degree	284 (29.6%)	71 (16.1%)	39 (32.5%)

Table 2. Disclosure practices and expectations.

I expect a casual sexual partner to tell me if he or she
	PSHP (n = 438)	OCS (n = 959)
Is HIV-negative	112 (26%)	191 (20%)
Is HIV-positive	215 (49%)	390 (41%)
Is unaware of their HIV status	85 (19%)	189 (20%)
I do not expect my casual sex partner to tell me about their HIV status	79 (18%)	278 (29%)
I do not have a casual sex partner	237 (54%)	361 (38%)
Concerning HIV-negative partners and partners whose HIV status I did not know, with whom I had anal or vaginal sex in the last six months (please check all that apply):
	PSHP	OCS
I told of all my partners that I am HIV-positive	196 (45%)	263 (35%)
I did not tell any of my partners that I am HIV-positive	24 (5%)	28 (4%)
I told some of my partners that I am HIV-positive and did not tell others	38 (9%)	63 (8%)
I dropped hints that I could be HIV-positive	20 (5%)	25 (3%)
I didn’t feel it was necessary to tell my partner(s) because we had protected sex	41 (9%)	54 (7%)
I didn’t feel it was necessary to tell my partner(s) because they should presume everyone is positive	20 (5%)	18 (2%)
I didn’t feel it was necessary to tell my partner(s) because they were willing to have unprotected sex	14 (3%)	13 (2%)
I didn’t feel it was necessary to tell my partner(s) because it is their responsibility to use a condom if they want to	17 (4%)	8 (1%)
I was afraid to tell my partner(s) I was HIV-positive	26 (6%)	23 (3%)
I did not have an HIV-negative partner or partner(s) whose HIV status I did not know	141 (32%)	359 (48%)