Testing for HIV infection among heterosexual, bisexual and gay men

This paper answers the questions: who is and is not tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies, why, where are they tested, and what do they find difficult about the testing process? The data came from two samples of sexually active heterosexual, bisexual and gay men in Perth (N = 545). Bisexual and gay men were much more likely to be tested than heterosexual men, although the commonest reason for testing for all three groups was risky sex. The three groups differed on reasons for not having the HIV antibody test: heterosexual men most commonly claimed that they were not at risk; bisexual men explained that they had been meaning to go but kept putting it off; and gay men primarily feared a positive test result and lacked trust in the confidential treatment of results. Gay men were more likely to trust their regular doctors than were heterosexual and bisexual men who had more trust in state health clinics. Waiting for test results was the most difficult part of the testing process for all respondents. Few respondents agreed that employers and the police should be notified by a doctor of an antibody-positive test result; nearly all agreed that those who had contracted HIV should be notified; notification of surgeons received moderate support. Knowing one's HIV infection status appears to be strongly associated with safer sex practices, and therefore the HIV antibody test could be promoted as part of a preventive health care program.