Publication date
22 June 2019

Original abstract

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM), most informed about how to prevent HIV infection, remains in France the population with the highest incidence of new HIV infection reports.

Objective: To understand how these individuals are specific in their willingness to engage in sexual behaviors that expose them to HIV and STIs?

Methods: Qualitative analysis of biographical interviews with 16 informed men involved in the fight against HIV who reported being infected through their sexual activity with other men.

Outcomes: Health knowledge does not directly interact with sexual behaviors that mainly follow pleasure-seeking motivations. Health knowledge is monitored and acted upon if it appears rationally in accordance with the pursuit of pleasure.

Conclusion: Knowledge about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases is not sufficient to develop sexual behaviors that promote health protection. Our analyses would argue for the integration of subjectivities, sexual pleasure and erotic repertoires present in sexual lives in HIV prevention and sexual health approaches.

Reference

Domenech-Dorca, G., Giami, A..(2019). Sexuality, pleasure and HIV infection: Scripts of HIV contamination among men who have sex with men (MSM) in France. Sexologies, Vol. 28 (3), pp. 104-113. DOI: 10.1016/j.sexol.2019.06.005

Request the entire article from the authors
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1158136019300544