Nondisclosure of HIV infection to sex partners and alcohol's role: a Russian experience.
Nondisclosure of one's HIV infection to sexual partners obviates safer sex negotiations and thus jeopardizes HIV transmission prevention. The role of alcohol use in the disclosure decision process is largely unexplored. This study assessed the association between alcohol use and recent nondisclosure of HIV serostatus to sex partners by HIV-infected risky drinkers in St. Petersburg, Russia. Approximately half (317/605; 52.4 %) reported not having disclosed their HIV serostatus to all partners since awareness of infection. Using three separate GEE logistic regression models, we found no significant association between alcohol dependence, risky alcohol use (past 30 days), or alcohol use at time of sex (past 30 days) with recent (past 3 months) nondisclosure (AOR [95 % CI] 0.81 [0.55, 1.20], 1.31 [0.79, 2.17], 0.75 [0.54, 1.05], respectively). Alcohol use at time of sex was associated with decreased odds of recent nondisclosure among seroconcordant partners and among casual partners. Factors associated with nondisclosure were relationship with a casual partner, a serodiscordant partner, multiple sex partners, awareness of HIV diagnosis less than 1 year, and a lifetime history of sexually transmitted disease. Nondisclosure of HIV status to sex partners is common among HIV-infected Russians, however alcohol does not appear to be a predictor of recent disclosure.
Boston Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University, 801 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02118, USA. karsten.lunze@post.harvard.edu
Karsten
K
Lunze
Debbie M
DM
Cheng
Emily
E
Quinn
Evgeny
E
Krupitsky
Anita
A
Raj
Alexander Y
AY
Walley
Carly
C
Bridden
Christine
C
Chaisson
Dmitry
D
Lioznov
Elena
E
Blokhina
Jeffrey H
JH
Samet
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D047568:Unsafe Sex; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult