Decision making in HIV testing among a group with low HIV risk

Relatively little is known about how individuals (apart from gay and bisexual men) decide to have an HIV test and how, once they have presented for testing, they make decisions about proceeding through the testing trajectory. This paper reports on a qualitative study in which 55 mainly heterosexual respondents with low HIV risk were interviewed about their experiences of decision making around HIV testing. Reasons for deciding to be tested centred on a desire for reassurance and the circumstances of the respondents' current relationship. The most common relationship reason focused on a desire to confirm HIV status before beginning sexual relations or engaging in unprotected sex with a partner. Although some respondents recognized that other individuals had influenced their decision to be tested, few said that pre-test counselling had been influential in this respect. Instead, it was said to have promoted feelings of 'ownership' of a decision which had already been taken prior to counselling. The potential effects of HIV testing on HIV risk behaviour were also examined and a non-significant increase in unprotected sex was reported between the month before the test and the month after. The implications of these findings for the provision of HIV testing services are explored.