Cost and Concerns About Si Effects Keep Gay Men From Takg PrEP - POZ

HIV has affected gay men disproportnately the U.S. for four s. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was veloped as a preventn strategy for dividuals at high risk of HIV fectn. Although highly effective, many gay and other men who have sex wh men ntue not to take PrEP. Rearchers have foced on sexual risk behavrs as the primary termant of who should be on PrEP and intified var objective systemic and societal barriers to PrEP accs. Public health measur have promoted PrEP based on the objective creria. Rearchers have recently begun to quire to subjective and relatnal motivators for PrEP age beyond self-perceived risk. Participants were reced through snowball samplg. Data were llected between Augt and November 2018 om PrEP ers (n = 7) and PrEP non-ers (n = 6). Data were analyzed a modified ground theory qualative analysis. The thirteen participants’ narrativ ntaed three superordate tegori: (1) what ’s like to be someone on PrEP, (2) an environment of changg sexual norms, and (3) the ntued importance of tn. The tegori prised ten them, each of which had var repeatg ias. The ten them were the followg: (1) PrEP’s social acceptabily, (2) PrEP and HIV stigma, (3) PrEP and sexual relatnships, (4) dissatisfactn wh ndoms, (5) negotiatg risk, (6) peace of md, (7) velopg a relatnship wh PrEP, (8) puttg yourself first, (9) PrEP awarens, and (10) PrEP logistics. The gay men our study took to nsiratn their social rol and relatnships, their personal beliefs, and emotnal histori as well as risk as proment motivators for PrEP e. They stated that PrEP e is associated wh their sense of belongg, tst, and secury about their sexualy. They also intified the most relevant aspects of the meditn (e.g., si effects, adherence, and awarens) to their liv.