Dowsett GW, Connell RW, Crawford J, Kippax S, Baxter D, Watson L; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1990 Jun 20-23; 6: 454 (abstract no. 4000).
Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
OBJECTIVES: To describe the dynamics of gay relationships in which unsafe sex has occurred since the advent of HIV infection, and to assess the relationship between context, knowledge and behaviour in these occurrences. METHODS: A small number of gay men, recruited from an existing large-scale survey, participated in one-to-one, audio-recorded, semistructured interviews on such topics as personal history, history of gay relationships, and sexual practice. Each interview provides the basis for a theorised life history (TLH). These histories and their analysis form a research method which produces an excellent understanding of sexuality. RESULTS: 1) The interviews revealed that even well-informed men can pursue unsafe sex in certain circumstances, where the physical surroundings and/or the emotional contexts are conducive. 2) TLH method uncovers a wide range of social and emotional dynamics in unsafe sex events. CONCLUSIONS: 1) The emotional structure of gay relationships needs to be taken into account by AIDS educators if unsafe sex within relationships is to be prevented. This emotional structure is related both to sexual experience and the experience of social oppression. 2) AIDS knowledge alone is insufficient to produce sustainable safe sex behaviour. 3) More use of non-quantitative research method would provide valuable information to assist educators to develop better-targeted intervention programs.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Behavior
- HIV Infections
- Homosexuality
- Homosexuality, Male
- Humans
- Interviews as Topic
- Male
- Research
- Sexual Behavior
- Sexuality
- Unsafe Sex
- methods
Other ID:
UI: 102197387
From Meeting Abstracts