95
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Settings, Sexual Practices, and Personal HIV Protection Strategies: The Circumstances of Recent HIV Infections in Switzerland

, &
Pages 436-450 | Published online: 14 Nov 2014
 

Abstract

The authors investigated the circumstances of recent HIV infections in Switzerland. Their aim was to identify the interactions between individuals’ personal HIV protection strategies, their actual risk behavior, and situational factors during the high-risk event. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 recently infected persons aged 21–64. Data analysis followed the principles of Grounded Theory. Interviews revealed that respondents adopted the safer sex strategy, risk reduction strategies, a priori ineffective HIV protection strategies, and alternating HIV protection strategies. Some, however, adopted no explicit protection strategy. Risk reduction strategies mirrored discourses circulating within men who have sex with men subcultures as well as messages about noninfectiousness while on treatment. Safer sex had failed due to situational or relational factors. In the case of the other strategies, infections resulted from the risk inherent in these strategies. Results show the influence of discourses about risk reduction strategies and noninfectiousness under antiretroviral treatment on personal HIV protection strategies.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, we thank the interviewees for participating in this study and for disclosing their personal HIV protection strategies and paths to HIV infection. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the Swiss confirming laboratories and the physicians involved in the recruitment of survey participants. Our thanks go to Claudia Ballerini, Daniel Goldberg, Flavia Juri, Eveline Odermatt, and Andreas Pfister for assistance with interviewing, transcription, and research. We thank Matthias Wentzlaff-Eggebert and Mark Kyburz for editing and copyediting this manuscript. Finally, we thank the Federal Office of Public Health, Berne, Switzerland, for its financial assistance.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 270.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.