TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘He’s still with these girls’
T2 - exploring perceptions of HIV risk among men with behaviourally bisexual male partners
AU - Williams, Whitney
AU - Goldenberg, Tamar
AU - Andes, Karen L.
AU - Finneran, Catherine
AU - Stephenson, Rob
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - Recent studies have called for more nuanced research into the relationships between behaviourally bisexual men and their sexual partners. To address this, we conducted a longitudinal qualitative study with self-identifying gay men; participants took part in timeline-based interviews and relationship diaries. We conducted a thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts to understand how relationship motivations, emotions and relationship dynamics influenced perceptions of HIV risk with behaviourally bisexual male partners. Participants described how partnership types (main and casual) and relationship dimensions (exclusivity, commitment, emotional attachment and relationship designation) strongly influenced perceptions of HIV risk and shaped their decisions to choose behaviourally bisexual male sex partners. Results reveal the crucial role relationship dynamics play in the shaping of HIV risk perceptions, sexual decision-making and HIV risk between partners, and provide potential insight on how to message HIV risk to gay men and their behaviourally bisexual male partners. It is imperative that HIV prevention is able to message key concepts of risk, decision-making and partner negotiation in a way that does not act to stereotype or create stigma against behaviourally bisexual men and their male partners.
AB - Recent studies have called for more nuanced research into the relationships between behaviourally bisexual men and their sexual partners. To address this, we conducted a longitudinal qualitative study with self-identifying gay men; participants took part in timeline-based interviews and relationship diaries. We conducted a thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts to understand how relationship motivations, emotions and relationship dynamics influenced perceptions of HIV risk with behaviourally bisexual male partners. Participants described how partnership types (main and casual) and relationship dimensions (exclusivity, commitment, emotional attachment and relationship designation) strongly influenced perceptions of HIV risk and shaped their decisions to choose behaviourally bisexual male sex partners. Results reveal the crucial role relationship dynamics play in the shaping of HIV risk perceptions, sexual decision-making and HIV risk between partners, and provide potential insight on how to message HIV risk to gay men and their behaviourally bisexual male partners. It is imperative that HIV prevention is able to message key concepts of risk, decision-making and partner negotiation in a way that does not act to stereotype or create stigma against behaviourally bisexual men and their male partners.
KW - Behavioural bisexuality
KW - gay men
KW - HIV risk
KW - sexual agreements
KW - USA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84974856578&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13691058.2016.1189595
DO - 10.1080/13691058.2016.1189595
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84974856578
SN - 1369-1058
VL - 18
SP - 1407
EP - 1419
JO - Culture, Health and Sexuality
JF - Culture, Health and Sexuality
IS - 12
ER -