Representations of sexuality among HIV-positive young adults

Abstract

Summary The purpose of this study was to explore the representations of sexuality and the way in which they fit in with the representations of HIV for young HIV-positive adults infected by sexual contact or by mother-to-child transmission. It also aimed at observing the permanent presence of original representations of aids or the ways in which such representations might have evolved, associating the illness with a sex life that could be considered as deviant within the current context of the epidemic. For this work, we used a qualitative approach. Semi-directive interviews were conducted with 21 young adults infected either by sexual transmission (13/21, 7 males, 6 females), or by mother-to-child transmission (8/21, 5 males, 3 females), aged from 18 to 25 years, of both sexes and all French residents for at least 5 years. Two different types of analysis were conducted successively on the data collected. An analysis of the horizontal thematic content firstly enabled identification and grouping of the themes covered in the corpus of work. Then, the vertical thematic analysis allowed us to identify in each interview the way in which these themes slotted in with each other in the specific dynamic representation of each participant. Our analysis revealed an entanglement of representations of HIV and sexuality, evidencing close links that exist between the experience of HIV and of sexuality set against the personal experience of the participating population. We observed that the representations of sexuality tended to be polarized, opposing “good” sexuality – heterosexual, within a long-term relationship based on love and with the purpose of reproduction –, versus “bad” sexuality considered as transgressive – homosexual relations, prostitution, etc., with the latter type being blamed as the source of infection. Many subjects frequently mentioned practices that, although commonplace, are nevertheless considered as morally reprehensible (multiple partners, unfaithfulness, recreational sex without love) as being the source of HIV transmission, showing that the original representation of aids is permanently present.