title: Communication about safer sex and serostatus disclosure in HIV-positive adolescents with haemophilia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the attitudes, beliefs and feelings of adolscents and young men with severe haemophilia with respect to discussing safer sex and disclosing their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity to potential sex partners.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-nine males with haemophilia from throughout the US answered open-ended questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Talking about avoidance of transmitting AIDS and disclosing one's seropositivity was beneficial, moral and wise. Nevertheless, this was exceedingly, difficult, unpleasant, and fraught with fear of rejection and alienation. Communication was approved by family, friends, and health-care providers. Facilitators of communication were: knowledge and an accepting attitude about persons with HIV, a supportive person to assist with discussion, and environmental cues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This first report of HIV-infected adolescents and young adults reveals that although they endorse discussing safer sex and disclosing their HIV seropositivity, they are painfully aware of the social and interpersonal risks of such extremely difficult communications.
authors.affiliation: Mountain States Regional Hemophilia Center, Denver, Colorado, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Prevention Services, Division of STD/HIV Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nuss
authors.affiliation: Mountain States Regional Hemophilia Center, Denver, Colorado, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Prevention Services, Division of STD/HIV Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Mountain States Regional Hemophilia Center, Denver, Colorado, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Prevention Services, Division of STD/HIV Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cotton
authors.affiliation: Mountain States Regional Hemophilia Center, Denver, Colorado, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Prevention Services, Division of STD/HIV Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kisker
keywords: HIV; adolescents; behaviour; communication; haemophilia; sex