Changing characteristics of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men's relationships in the era of biomedical prevention.

Abstract

To assess changes in personal and relationship characteristics among HIV-positive Australian gay and bisexual men (GBM) as rates of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and knowledge and confidence regarding the effectiveness of viral suppression in preventing HIV transmission have increased. Repeated behavioural surveillance of GBM recruited from venues, events, and online in seven Australian states and territories. HIV-positive participants were included. Trends in demographics, HIV treatment, and relationship characteristics were assessed with binary and multivariable logistic regression. A total of 3,643 survey responses (2016-2020) were included. Over time, HIV-positive GBM became less likely to identify as gay or report an Anglo-Australian ethnicity. The average length of time since HIV diagnosis increased and the frequency of attending HIV-related clinical appointments decreased. There were no changes in the reported number of recent sex partners or proportion reporting regular male partners over time. Among HIV-positive GBM in relationships, the proportion reporting HIV-positive partners decreased, and the proportion reporting HIV-negative partners increased. Levels of condomless sex with regular partners increased over time, however, this was concentrated among HIV-positive GBM in serodiscordant relationships. Findings suggest that increased accessibility and trust in biomedical prevention strategies have contributed to broader relationship and sexual opportunities for HIV-positive GBM in Australia. Our findings suggest future health promotion activities could highlight the social and relationship benefits of to further promote the effectiveness of treatment as prevention to further increase trust in it as an HIV prevention strategy among GBM.