Continued sexual risk behavior following repeatedly testing HIV-negative in the Polaris HIV Seroconversion Study (Ontario, Canada) led to this follow-up study which identifies the impact of repeat negative testing among 64 men and women. Repeat HIV-negative testing frequently results in confusion as to what constitutes risk and occasionally to thoughts of HIV immunity. Narrative accounts include beliefs that monogamy constitutes safety from HIV, that psychosocial factors other than repeatedly testing negative leads to risk, and that sexual risk reduction is unsustainable. In conclusion, the repeat negative test experience for some neither clarifies risk behavior nor reinforces sustained risk reduction.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We express our gratitude to the people who participated in this study as well as to our interviewers and those who assisted with recruitment. Thank you to Jeffrey P. Aguinaldo for his comments on a previous version of this manuscript. We also wish to acknowledge our funders, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Health Canada (funding reference # HHP-44976) and the AIDS Bureau, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
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Ryder, K., Haubrich, D.J., Callà, D. et al. Psychosocial Impact of Repeat HIV-Negative Testing: A Follow-Up Study. AIDS Behav 9, 459–464 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9032-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9032-z