Determinants of HIV Serostatus Disclosure to Sexual Partner Among HIV-Positive Alcohol Users in Haiti

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between antiretroviral therapy use, participants' knowledge of partner's HIV serostatus, number of sex partners, perceived infectivity and HIV disclosure to a main sexual partner among 258 HIV-positive Haitian alcohol users. Only 38.6% had disclosed their HIV serostatus to sexual partners. Logistic regression analyses revealed that participants who self-reported having an HIV-negative partner (OR=0.36, 95% CI 0.13-0.97) or a partner of unknown HIV status (OR=0.09, 95% CI 0.04-0.22) were less likely to disclose their HIV serostatus than participants who self-reported having an HIV-positive partner. Participants who had more than one sexual partner in the past 3months (OR=0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.90) were also less likely to disclose than participants who had one partner. These findings suggest the need for couples-based programs to assist people living with HIV (PLWH) with the disclosure process, especially among PLWH who have more than one sexual partner and/or are in serodiscordant relationships.