title: Making decisions: the process of HIV disclosure for rural African American men.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the process of HIV disclosure for rural African American men-a population disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Forty men were interviewed about their experience of making an HIV disclosure. Grounded theory methodology guided data collection and analysis. The core category or variable that emerged from the data was a process-Making Decisions: The Process of HIV Disclosure. Five categories accounted for variations in disclosures: (a) beliefs and knowledge about HIV/AIDS, (b) influencing factors, (c) disclosure decisions, (d) disclosure efficacy, and (e) outcomes of disclosure. Most of the men had disclosed to others; however, the disclosures were selective, and the decisions were iterative. The majority of the men did not disclose their diagnosis for several months to several years. The findings provide a framework of the many factors related to HIV disclosure that can guide health care providers in counseling persons living with HIV/AIDS in making disclosure decisions.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA. sgaskins@ua.edu
authors.forename: Susan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Gaskins
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Payne Foster
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sowell
authors.forename: Timothy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Parton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000407:Alabama; D044383:Black People; D003657:Decision Making; D005195:Family Relations; D005239:Fear; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012424:Rural Population; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012747:Sexual Partners; D057545:Social Stigma; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult; D001741:Black or African American