Psycho-social aspects of HIV testing--the Swedish case

Almost 10% of the Swedish population--more than 800,000 people--have been tested for HIV antibody to date. More people in Sweden have been tested (per million inhabitants) than in any other European country. The number of people found to be HIV positive has steadily decreased since 1985, from approximately 45 to 25 a month. Several reasons for this decrease have been suggested. On the one hand, preventive measures taken by the government may have succeeded. On the other hand, the large government backed information campaign has had as its target group 'the general population' and not the group who until now have been most at risk for HIV infection. Consequently, there may be many more people 'out there' carrying the virus than is shown in the statistics. Furthermore, there is evidence that the acceptance rates for testing among homosexual men have been steadily decreasing since 1985. This may be the result of unsatisfactory pre- and post-test counselling as well as the lack of sufficient psycho-social support offered to persons who test positive to HIV. This paper offers a critical analysis of Swedish AIDS policy with special emphasis on the psycho-social aspects of HIV-testing.