Disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners can help HIV prevention efforts and enable HIV positive people to receive social support, as well as increasing access and adherence to treatment.
This study was conducted to determine the rate, processes, outcomes, and correlates of HIV status disclosure to sexual partners among HIV positive individuals. Data were collected using an interviewer- administered semi-structured questionnaire.
Logistic analysis was used to determine the independent correlates of serostatus disclosure. Of those who reported having disclosed their status to their most recent sexual partner, 82 Some Negative outcomes to disclosure, such as stigma and discrimination, were more common among females HIV disclosure was common amongst participants, although sometimes delayed, with possible consequences for onward transmission.
Fear of negative outcomes, such as verbal abuse and physical violence, were major barriers to disclosure. Efforts to support disclosure have the potential to contribute to HIV control and prevention by encouraging safer sexual practice, initiating partners for HIV testing, and enhancing support for people living with HIV.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Grant was received by Dr N. Dessalegn; Grant number: AAS The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
