Skip to main content
Log in

Asking and Telling: Communication About HIV Status Among Latino HIV-Positive Gay Men

  • Published:
AIDS and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Communication about HIV status—that is, asking about a sex partner's status as well as disclosing one's own status—was examined in a sample of 129 Latino HIV-positive gay men interviewed as part of a larger study conducted in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. Asking and telling were strongly related to each other; however, participants were more likely to disclose their positive serostatus to sex partners than to solicit information about their partners' serostatus. Region of birth was associated with both asking and telling. Participants with bilingual friendship networks reported more communication with partners. Higher levels of social isolation were related to lower levels of communication, and perceived negative consequences—beliefs that disclosure would result in negative consequences or rejection—were related to less telling. Contrary to expectations, reported experiences of gay discrimination were positively associated with communication of serostatus.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Derlega, V. J., Metts, S., Petronio, S., and Margulis, S. T. (1993). Self-disclosure. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derlega, V. J., Winstead, B. A., and Folk-Barron, L. (2000). Reasons for and against disclosing HIV seropositive test results to an intimate partner: A functional perspective. In S. Petronio (Ed.), Balancing the secrets of private disclosures (pp. 53-69). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeRosa, C. J., and Marks, G. (1998). Preventive counseling of HIV-positive men and self-disclosure of serostatus to sex partners: New opportunities for prevention. Health Psychology, 17, 224-231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz, R. M. (1998). Latino gay men and HIV: Culture, sexuality, and risk behavior. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz, R. M., Ayala, G., Bein, E., Henne, J., and Marín, B. V. (2001). The impact of homophobia, poverty and racism on the mental health of Latino gay and bisexual men: Findings from three U.S. cities. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 927-932.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz, R. M., Ayala, G., Marín, B. V., and Bein, E. (1998). Study survey: Latino Gay Men's Study: Nuestras Voces. Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dindia, K. (2000). Sex differences in self-disclosure, reciprocity of self-disclosure, and self-disclosure and liking: Three meta-analyses reviewed. In S. Petronio (Ed.), Balancing the secrets of private disclosures (pp. 21-35). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, J. H. (1990). The explicit and implicit use of the scripting perspective in sex research. Annual Review of Sex Research, 1, 1-43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Georges, E. (1995). A cultural and historical perspective on confession. In J. W. Pennebaker (Ed.), Emotion, disclosure, and health (pp. 11-22). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jourard, S. M. (1971). The transparent self (rev. ed.). New York: Van Nostrand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauman, E. O., and Yoosik, Y. (1999). Racial/ethnic group differences in the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States: A network explanation. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 26, 250-261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lohr, S. L. (1999). Sampling: Design and analysis. Pacific Grove, CA: Duxbury Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mansergh, G., Marks, G., and Simoni, J. M. (1995). Self-disclosure of HIV infection among men who vary in time since seropositive diagnosis and symptomatic status. AIDS, 9, 639-644.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marín, G., and Marín, B. V. (1991). Research with Hispanic populations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marín, G., Sabogal, F., Marín, B. V., Otero-Sabogal, R., and Pérez-Stable, E. J. (1987). Development of a short acculturation scale for Hispanics. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 9, 183-205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marín, B. V., Tschann, J. M., Gómez, C. A., and Gregorich, S. (1998). Self-efficacy to use condoms in unmarried Latino adults. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 53-71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks, G., Bundek, N. I., Richardson, J. L., and Ruiz, M. S. (1992). Self-disclosure of HIV infection: Preliminary results from a sample of Hispanic men. Health Psychology, 11, 300-306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks, G., Ruiz, M. S., Richardson, J. L., Reed, D., Mason, H. R. C., Sotelo, M. and Turner, P. A. (1994). Anal intercourse and disclosure of HIV infection among seropositive gay and bisexual men. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 7, 866-869.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, H. R. C., Marks, G., Simoni, J. M., Ruiz, M. S., and Richardson, J. L. (1995). Culturally sanctioned secrets? Latino men's nondisclosure of HIV infection to family, friends, and lovers. Health Psychology, 14, 6-12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moneyham, L., Seals, B., Demi, A., Sowell, R., Cohen, L., and Guillory, J. (1996). Experiences of disclosure in women infected with HIV. Health Care for Women International, 17, 209-221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Omarzu, J. (2000). A disclosure decision model: Determining how and when individuals will self-disclose. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4, 174-185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, S. W., Card, C. A. L., Moffatt, M. Jr., and Ashman, T. (1994). Self-disclosure of HIV infection to sexual partners after repeated counseling. AIDS Education and Prevention, 6, 403-411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, M. W., and Rosser, B. R. S. (1996). Measurement and correlates of internalized homophobia: A factor analytic study. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 52, 15-21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, D. L., Yang, H., and Porte, M. (2000). A comparison of self-reported disclosure among Chinese and North Americans. In S. Petronio (Ed.), Balancing the secrets of private disclosures (pp. 215-234). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • StataCorp. (1999). Stata statistical software: Release 6.0. College Station, TX: Stata Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Umaña-Taylor, A. J., and Fine, M. A. (2001). Methodological implications of grouping Latino adolescents into one collective ethnic group. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 23, 347-362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D. R., and Rucker, T. (1996). Socioeconomic status and the health of ethnic minority populations. In P. M. Kato and T. Mann (Eds.). Handbook of diversity issues in health psychology (pp. 407-423). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zea, M. C., Quezada, T., and Belgrave, F. Z. (1997). Limitations of an acultural health psychology: Reconstructing the African influence on Latino culture and health related behaviors. In J. García and M. C. Zea (Eds.), Psychological interventions and research with Latino populations (pp. 255-266). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to María Cecilia Zea.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zea, M.C., Reisen, C.A., Poppen, P.J. et al. Asking and Telling: Communication About HIV Status Among Latino HIV-Positive Gay Men. AIDS Behav 7, 143–152 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023994207984

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023994207984

Navigation