Understanding the impact of HIV diagnosis amongst gay men in Scotland: an interpretative phenomenological analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Although a wide literature details the psychological impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis, it predates the introduction of effective treatment for HIV (i.e. anti-retroviral therapies, ARTs). This article explores the psychological impact of HIV diagnosis in post-ART accounts. This is important, given the recent policy developments which focus upon increasing HIV testing and thus diagnoses.


METHODS
This study presents a qualitative exploration of the experiential accounts of HIV-positive gay men living in Scotland. A total of 14 HIV-positive gay men took part in open-ended interviews.


METHODS
Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to identify recurrent themes across the interviews.


RESULTS
Our analysis focuses upon the participants' struggles in adjusting to their HIV status. Diagnosis was a deeply shocking and unexpected experience. Stigma and fear of prejudice dominated their accounts. HIV was understood, variously, as a shameful, fatal and life-changing condition. Overall, within these accounts there was little sense of HIV normalisation.


CONCLUSIONS
In Scotland, where HIV prevalence is low, and where no accessible HIV-positive sub-culture exists, there is on-going psychological distress and morbidity amongst gay men testing HIV positive. As HIV-related policy increasingly focuses on increasing rates of antibody testing, there is a need to reduce the psychosocial costs associated with HIV-positive diagnoses.
Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK. P.Flowers@gcu.ac.uk
Paul
P
Flowers
Mark McGregor
MM
Davis
Michael
M
Larkin
Stephanie
S
Church
Claire
C
Marriott
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology*; D006291:Health Policy; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D012606:Scotland; D012933:Social Identification; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support