The effect of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on negotiating casual sex between gay men: disclosure, assumptions, and communication
Johann Kolstee
A * , Garrett Prestage A , Steven Philpot A , Benjamin Bavinton A , Mohamed Hammoud A , Phillip Keen A and Martin Holt B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
B Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
Sexual Health 20(1) 64-70 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH22095
Submitted: 2 June 2022 Accepted: 16 November 2022 Published: 13 December 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: The disclosure of HIV status and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use can be important in the negotiation of safe sex. With the rapid uptake of PrEP in Australia, norms and expectations about discussion and disclosure may have changed.
Methods: We explored the disclosure of PrEP use, HIV status and communication with sex partners by HIV-negative gay men in Sydney, Australia. We conducted semi-structured interviews from October 2017 to May 2018 and analysed data using a codebook thematic analysis approach.
Results: Participants had a variety of expectations of what they should tell their partners and what they expected in return. For some participants, PrEP had negated the need for any discussion about HIV. Many participants assumed their partners would find information about their HIV status or PrEP use on their online profiles or that partners would ask, if necessary.
Conclusions: Building a stronger, shared understanding among gay men that disclosure and discussion no longer automatically occur before sexual encounters may be useful.
Keywords: casual sex, communication, gay men, HIV disclosure, HIV prevention, HIV risk reduction, HIV status, PrEP.
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