Score | Agreement* | Factor loadings | Uniqueness | ||||||
Items (survey questions) | Mean | SD | n | % | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | |
Confidence in PrEP | |||||||||
PrEP is effective in preventing HIV infection | 4.0 | 0.8 | 360 | 77.9 | 0.72 | 0.32 | 0.36 | ||
An HIV-negative person who is on PrEP is unlikely to get HIV | 3.7 | 1.0 | 301 | 65.2 | 0.69 | 0.42 | 0.35 | ||
Gay and bisexual men who take PrEP are being responsible | 3.9 | 0.9 | 340 | 73.6 | 0.84 | 0.28 | |||
Gay and bisexual men who take PrEP are protecting themselves | 4.0 | 0.8 | 386 | 83.6 | 0.88 | 0.21 | |||
If more men are on PrEP, then I’m less worried about HIV | 3.2 | 1.0 | 213 | 46.1 | 0.62 | 0.40 | 0.43 | ||
If more men are on PrEP, then I’m less likely to get HIV | 3.3 | 1.0 | 225 | 48.7 | 0.63 | 0.34 | 0.44 | ||
If more men are on PrEP, I would feel more comfortable taking PrEP myself | 3.1 | 1.1 | 182 | 39.4 | 0.50 | 0.36 | 0.62 | ||
Judicious approach to PrEP | |||||||||
If more men are on PrEP, I would feel like I don’t need to use condoms to avoid getting HIV | 2.3 | 1.1 | 75 | 16.2 | 0.39 | 0.66 | 0.40 | ||
I would expect my sex partners to use PrEP before every occasion of anal sex | 2.3 | 1.0 | 48 | 10.4 | 0.53 | 0.64 | |||
If my partner doesn’t suggest using condoms, then I assume they’re on PrEP | 1.7 | 0.8 | 14 | 3.0 | 0.73 | 0.43 | |||
Taking PrEP is appealing to me because it means I could seek out and enjoy condomless sex | 2.5 | 1.2 | 114 | 24.7 | 0.31 | 0.60 | 0.53 | ||
Because of PrEP and HIV treatments, I’m less likely to ask my partners about their HIV status | 2.2 | 1.0 | 56 | 12.1 | 0.55 | 0.38 | 0.52 | ||
Because of PrEP and HIV treatments, I’m less likely to ask my partners to use condoms | 2.0 | 1.0 | 39 | 8.4 | 0.71 | 0.38 | |||
Treatment as prevention optimism | |||||||||
A person with an undetectable viral load cannot pass on HIV | 2.6 | 1.0 | 83 | 18.0 | 0.60 | 0.56 | |||
An HIV-positive person on treatment is unlikely to transmit the virus | 2.6 | 1.0 | 92 | 19.9 | 0.68 | 0.46 | |||
If every HIV-positive person was on treatment, new infections would stop | 2.4 | 1.0 | 58 | 12.6 | 0.33 | 0.62 | 0.47 | ||
If more HIV-positive men have an undetectable viral load, then I’m less likely to get HIV | 3.0 | 1.0 | 171 | 37.0 | 0.73 | 0.41 | |||
If more HIV-positive men have an undetectable viral load, then I am less worried about HIV | 2.7 | 1.0 | 113 | 24.5 | 0.58 | 0.49 | |||
Support for early treatment | |||||||||
People should delay treatment until it is absolutely necessary† | 4.5 | 0.7 | 423 | 91.6 | −0.58 | 0.55 | |||
HIV-positive people should go on treatment to protect their partners | 4.2 | 0.9 | 380 | 82.3 | −0.57 | 0.62 | |||
People should start treatment as soon as they are diagnosed | 4.3 | 0.9 | 388 | 84.0 | −0.69 | 0.50 | |||
People should delay HIV treatment until they are completely ready | 1.9 | 0.9 | 25 | 5.4 | 0.83 | 0.30 | |||
The best time to start HIV treatments is when you feel you are ready for what’s involved | 2.3 | 1.2 | 90 | 19.5 | 0.81 | 0.33 |
The response option for each item is a five-point Likert scale (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree).
*Agreement is ‘Agree’ (4) or ‘Strongly agree’ (5).
†Reverse scored.
F, factor; PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis.