NYMC Faculty Publications
Patterns and Correlates of Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partners by Perinatally-infected Adolescents and Young Adults
Journal Title
AIDS and Behavior
First Page
129
Last Page
140
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
January 2017
Department
Pediatrics
Abstract
Similar to same-age peers, perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) youth in the US are engaging in sex, including condomless sex. Understanding decisions about serostatus disclosure to sexual partners is important to domestic and global HIV prevention efforts, since large numbers of PHIV+ children are entering adolescence and becoming sexually active. Using Social Action Theory (SAT) to inform variable selection, we examined correlates of disclosure among 98 PHIV+ adolescents/young adults in New York City. Over half of these youth reported not disclosing to any casual partners (59 %) or to any partners when using condoms (55 %). In bivariate analyses, increased disclosure was associated with older age; being female; earlier age of learning one's serostatus; and increased STD knowledge, disclosure intentions, and parent-child communication. Multiple regression analyses revealed a strong fit with the SAT model. As with adults, disclosure to sexual partners is difficult for PHIV+ youth and challenges prevention efforts. Effective interventions that help youth with disclosure decisions are needed to curb the epidemic.
Recommended Citation
Weintraub, A., Mellins, C., Warne, P., Dolezal, C., Elkington, K., Bucek, A., Leu, C., Bamji, M., Wiznia, A., & Abrams, E. (2017). Patterns and Correlates of Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partners by Perinatally-infected Adolescents and Young Adults. AIDS and Behavior, 21 (1), 129-140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1337-6
