Misperception Among Gay Men of the Risk for AIDS Associated with Their Sexual Behavior1

Until a vaccine against AIDS is developed, the most effective strategy for preventing the spread of the disease among gay men, the largest risk group, is to persuade them to abstain from particular kinds of sexual practices implicated in the transmission of the AIDS virus. Motivation to comply with risk-reduction guidelines, however, is dependent in part on a realistic appraisal of the degree of risk associated with one's sexual practices. Data are presented from 160 asymptomatic gay men. Their subjective assessment of the riskiness of their sexual behavior is compared to an objective assessment of the riskiness of their sexual practices. Factors associated with a tendency to underestimate the riskiness of one's practices are examined. Finally, the implications of the findings for public health education efforts among gay men are discussed.

[1]  D. Morgan,et al.  Social interaction and the cognitive organisation of health‐relevant knowledge , 1985 .

[2]  W. Darrow,et al.  The epidemiology of AIDS: current status and future prospects. , 1985, Science.

[3]  J. Goedert,et al.  Decreased helper T lymphocytes in homosexual men. II. Sexual practices. , 1985, American journal of epidemiology.

[4]  T. Coates,et al.  AIDS and sexual behavior reported by gay men in San Francisco. , 1985, American journal of public health.

[5]  J. Goedert,et al.  DETERMINANTS OF RETROVIRUS (HTLV-III) ANTIBODY AND IMMUNODEFICIENCY CONDITIONS IN HOMOSEXUAL MEN , 1984, The Lancet.

[6]  William W. Hunter,et al.  A Community Health Education Approach to Occupant Protection , 1984, Health education quarterly.

[7]  S. Zolla-Pazner,et al.  Kaposi's sarcoma in homosexual men. A seroepidemiologic case-control study. , 1984, Annals of internal medicine.

[8]  N D Weinstein,et al.  Why it won't happen to me: perceptions of risk factors and susceptibility. , 1984, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[9]  Shelley E. Taylor.  Adjustment to threatening events: A theory of cognitive adaptation. , 1983 .

[10]  S. Thacker,et al.  National case-control study of Kaposi's sarcoma and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in homosexual men: Part 1. Epidemiologic results. , 1983, Annals of internal medicine.

[11]  W. Darrow,et al.  PASSIVE ANAL INTERCOURSE AS A RISK FACTOR FOR AIDS IN HOMOSEXUAL MEN , 1983, The Lancet.

[12]  M. A. Safer,et al.  The Impact of Communications on the Self-Regulation of Health Beliefs, Decisions, and Behavior , 1983, Health education quarterly.

[13]  Neil D. Weinstein,et al.  Reducing unrealistic optimism about illness susceptibility. , 1983 .

[14]  N. Miller.  Some main themes and highlights of the conference. , 1983 .

[15]  J. Kirscht.  Preventive health behavior: A review of research and issues. , 1983 .

[16]  R. Moos.  Coping with Acute Health Crises , 1982 .

[17]  N. Weinstein.  Unrealistic optimism about future life events , 1980 .

[18]  A. Jette,et al.  Psychosocial Determinants of Immunization Behavior in a Swine Influenza Campaign , 1979, Medical care.

[19]  H. Kunreuther.  The Changing Societal Consequences of Risks from Natural Hazards , 1979 .

[20]  D. Harris,et al.  Health-protective behavior: an exploratory study. , 1979, Journal of health and social behavior.

[21]  Laurie Larwood,et al.  Swine Flu: A Field Study of Self-Serving Biases , 1978 .

[22]  Stanislav V. Kasl,et al.  Selected Psychosocial Models and Correlates of Individual Health‐Related Behaviors , 1977, Medical care.

[23]  A. Knopf.  Changes in women's opinions about cancer. , 1976, Social science & medicine.

[24]  Mastrovito Rc.  Cancer: awareness and denial. , 1974 .

[25]  A. Tversky,et al.  Subjective Probability: A Judgment of Representativeness , 1972 .

[26]  T F Gallagher,et al.  Stress, distress, and ego defenses. Psychoendocrine response to impending breast tumor biopsy. , 1970, Archives of general psychiatry.

[27]  D. Hamburg,et al.  A perspective on coping behavior. Seeking and utilizing information in major transitions. , 1967, Archives of general psychiatry.

[28]  I. Rosenstock,et al.  A national study of health beliefs. , 1966, Journal of health and human behavior.

[29]  R. Lifton.  ON DEATH AND DEATH SYMBOLISM: THE HIROSHIMA DISASTER. , 1964, Psychiatry.

[30]  S. B. Friedman,et al.  STRESS, DEFENSES AND COPING BEHAVIOR: OBSERVATIONS IN PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH MALIGNANT DISEASE. , 1964, The American journal of psychiatry.