While HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective, has arguably dispted norms of ‘safe sex’ that for many years were synonymo wh ndom e. This qualative study explored the culture of PrEP adoptn and evolvg ncepts of ‘safe sex’ Sydney, Atralia, durg a perd of rapidly latg accs om 2015–2018, drawg on terviews wh sexually active gay men (n = 31) and terviews and foc groups wh key stakeholrs (n = 10). Data were analysed thematilly. Our rults explored the creasg centraly of ndoms risk rctn and new patterns of sexual negotiatn. Wh regards to stigma, we found that there was arguably more stigma related to not takg PrEP than to takg PrEP this sample. We also found that participants remaed highly engaged wh promotg the wellbeg of their muni through activi as seemgly disparate as regular STI ttg, promotn of PrEP their social circl, and ntributn to rearch. This study has important implitns for health promotn. It monstrat how nstctg PrEP as a rigid new standard to which gay men ‘should’ adhere n alienate some men and potentially create muny divisns. Instead, we remend promotg choice om a range of HIV preventn optns that have both high efficy and high acceptabily.
Contents:
- THE RELEVANCE OF PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS GAY MEN’S LIV AND THEIR MOTIVATNS TO E : A QUALATIVE STUDY
- PREP FOR GAY MEN 101: EVERYTHG GAY MEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TAKG HIV PREVENTN MEDITN!
- SOME GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN SEE PREP AS A 'SOCIAL PROBLEM'
- MYTH OR TTH: IS PREP JT FOR GAY AND BI MEN?
- REARCH PAPERPRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) UPTAKE AND ADHERENCE EXPERIENC OF GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WHO ENGAGE CHEMSEX: A QUALATIVE STUDY
- EXPLORG THE SHIFT FROM HIV PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS AWARENS TO UPTAKE AMONG YOUNG GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
THE RELEVANCE OF PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS GAY MEN’S LIV AND THEIR MOTIVATNS TO E : A QUALATIVE STUDY
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. * prep in gay *
ConclnsThe 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.
Although highly effective, PrEP has not been highly accsed by many populatns at high risk of HIV fectn cludg gay and other men who have sex wh men (llectively GMSM) [2]. We hope our study enrich extant PrEP rearch through a ground theory approach [27] via terviews of gay men who have nsired g PrEP, focg on the beliefs, feelgs, and experienc that unrgird their sense of the relevance of PrEP e to their liv that then affect whether they are motivated to e . Eligible participants were reced by the rearchers through emails on their personal and profsnal works, through flyers at lol LGBT service centers, and through Redd msage boards “askgaybros, ” “gay, ” “SampleSize, ” “hivaids, ” and “PrEPared.
PREP FOR GAY MEN 101: EVERYTHG GAY MEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TAKG HIV PREVENTN MEDITN!
Today, we look at the myth that PrEP is jt for gay and bisexual men. * prep in gay *
” All participants were mal who self-intified as gay, English- or Spanish-speakg, over age 18, and sexually active wh the past 6 months. Th, this project’s sample prised a largely homogeno group of Csian, highly ted, middle to upper-middle class, cis gay men, seven sgle and six some form of mted partnership. U3 ( his 20s) has been an open relatnship for 2 years wh an HIV-negative gay man who is also on PrEP.
SOME GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN SEE PREP AS A 'SOCIAL PROBLEM'
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5 years ago when he entered a sexually monogamo bond wh an HIV negative gay male partner who is not on PrEP. N12 ( his 30s) is sexually active exclively wh his romantic partner, an HIV-negative gay man, wh the ntext of a sexually monogamo relatnship.
” By drawg the nnectn between attus towards PrEP and attus towards gay sex, U7 explicly acknowledged that PrEP e rri social meang and reprents more than jt an HIV preventn the men our study, the meang of intifyg as g PrEP extend beyond notns of belongg and muny and was related to fear and stigma associated wh sex and sexual inty. Participants (n = 7) stated that g PrEP is associated wh promiscuy and risky behavr and that PrEP stigma leads to shame and judgment of gay men who e PrEP. She was surprised that there were many shame issu, and out of mted gay relatnships, about g PrEP, which ma the experience of g PrEP those participants’ relatnal world irrelevant or negatively experienced.
He was surprised that gay men shame and judge each other about the e of PrEP even wh timate relatnships, and that gay men nceal the relevance of PrEP om those close to them.
MYTH OR TTH: IS PREP JT FOR GAY AND BI MEN?
She was surprised by our fdgs of shame and out of mted gay relatnships and the irrelevant or negative experience has on PrEP e.
REARCH PAPERPRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP) UPTAKE AND ADHERENCE EXPERIENC OF GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN WHO ENGAGE CHEMSEX: A QUALATIVE STUDY
The rearchers hypothized that when gay men nsir g PrEP, they nsir subjective and relatnal factors over and above their self-perceived risk. In the prent study we sought to ask gay men about how risk and other factors affected their motivatns about whether to e PrEP, and how risk and PrEP were relevant to their lived experience.
EXPLORG THE SHIFT FROM HIV PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS AWARENS TO UPTAKE AMONG YOUNG GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
Thirteen gay men shared timate tails of their liv unrstandg they would not be pensated but that their stori would ntribute to a body of rearch that aims to unrstand and help GMSM who nsir g PrEP. Participants talked about how their iends viewed PrEP differently than how they talked about the “gay world’s” attu toward PrEP.
One participant who prevly ed PrEP stated that beg on PrEP is “almost the norm wh the gay world” (N4, 20s, open relatnship, $85 k). Concern about the gay muny motivated participants to e PrEP to be “rponsible” by “dog their part” to stop the spread of HIV.