Disclosure of HIV Status and Psychological Well-Being Among Latino Gay and Bisexual Men

Abstract

This study examined disclosure of HIV-positive serostatus by 301 Latino gay and bisexual men to members of their social networks and the mental health consequences of such disclosure. The sample was recruited from clinics, hospitals, and community agencies in New York City, Washington, DC, and Boston. Proportions disclosing differed depending on the target, with 85% having disclosed to closest friend, 78% to male main partner, 37% to mother, and 23% to father. Although there were differences depending on the target, disclosure was related to greater quality of social support, greater self-esteem, and lower levels of depression. Moreover, findings indicated that social support mediated the relationship between disclosure of serostatus and both self-esteem and depression. Thus, disclosure resulted in greater social support, which in turn had positive effects on psychological well-being. Findings demonstrate that generally Latino gay men are selective in choosing people to whom they disclose their serostatus and that disclosure tends to be associated with positive outcomes.

Loss to follow up from isoniazid preventive therapy among adults attending HIV voluntary counseling and testing sites in Uganda

“…Differences in health care utilization by marital status have been reported previously, 23 and high IPT default rates among the widowed, divorced or separated reported in this study might suggest that people in broken relationships might be less compliant due to a gap in support of close relatives which is fundamental in coping with HIV/AIDS and sustaining compliance. [23][24][25][26] Higher risk in the widowed, separated and divorced group might also be linked to increased household responsibilities which require shouldering workload that could have been shared between two household heads.…”

An Ecological Model of Stressors Experienced by Youth Newly Diagnosed With HIV

“…Although most HIV-positive youth reported struggling with disclosure, greater levels of stress were reported by those who were conflicted about disclosure to a family member, particularly their mother. The tremendous effort that these youth exert to maintain secrecy around their diagnosis may lead to negative mental health effects, while there is evidence that disclosure can lead to improved self-efficacy and increased social support, which in turn has positive effects for psychological well-being (Kalichman, DiMarco, Austin, Luke, & DiFonzo, 2003;Parsons et al, 2005;Zea, Reisen, Poppen, Bianchi, & Echeverry, 2005). However, the potential positive results of disclosure are dependent upon the acceptance and support of the person to whom the participant discloses.…”

Family Group Psychotherapy to Support the Disclosure of HIV Status to Children and Adolescents

“…As previously described, the possibility to freely talk about their own emotions without being censored is a path of growth for HIV-positive subjects. 28 In conclusion, attention needs to be paid to both psychosocial and biomedical aspects of pediatric AIDS. It is important to involve caregivers and family members who are in close contact with the HIV-infected child.…”