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Support group participation, HIV viral load and sexual-risk behavior
D J Martin1, D Riopelle, M J Steckart
1Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90509, USA. djmartin@ucla.edu
Objective:
To examine the impact of participation in community-based support groups and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load on sexual behavior among gay men.
Methods:
Using self-administered questionnaires, 46 seropositive support-group participants and 20 seropositive comparison subjects were asked about viral load and frequency of unprotected anal intercourse in 1996 and 1997 following the XI International Conference on AIDS.
Results:
Support group participants reported less unprotected receptive anal sex at follow-up than did comparison subjects. Overall, study participants with undetectable viral loads reported more unprotected anal intercourse at follow-up than did participants with detectable viral loads.
Conclusion:
Among HIV-seropositive gay men, knowledge of an undetectable viral load may contribute to high-risk sexual-risk behavior.