title: Patterns and Correlates of Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partners by Perinatally-Infected Adolescents and Young Adults.
abstract: Similar to same-age peers, perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) youth in the US are engaging in sex, including condomless sex. Understanding decisions about serostatus disclosure to sexual partners is important to domestic and global HIV prevention efforts, since large numbers of PHIV+ children are entering adolescence and becoming sexually active. Using Social Action Theory (SAT) to inform variable selection, we examined correlates of disclosure among 98 PHIV+ adolescents/young adults in New York City. Over half of these youth reported not disclosing to any casual partners (59 %) or to any partners when using condoms (55 %). In bivariate analyses, increased disclosure was associated with older age; being female; earlier age of learning one's serostatus; and increased STD knowledge, disclosure intentions, and parent-child communication. Multiple regression analyses revealed a strong fit with the SAT model. As with adults, disclosure to sexual partners is difficult for PHIV+ youth and challenges prevention efforts. Effective interventions that help youth with disclosure decisions are needed to curb the epidemic.
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA. weintra@nyspi.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weintraub
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Claude A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mellins
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Warne
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dolezal
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elkington
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bucek
authors.affiliation: HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Cheng-Shiun
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.affiliation: Metropolitan Hospital Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Mahrukh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bamji
authors.affiliation: Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiznia
authors.affiliation: ICAP, Mailman School of Public Health, and College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Elaine J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Abrams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Disclosure; Perinatal HIV; Sexual partners; Young adulthood