Gay men's accounts of unsafe sex. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Gay men's accounts of unsafe sex.

AIDS Care. 1995;7(5):619-30. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96263767
Boulton M; McLean J; Fitzpatrick R; Hart G; Academic Department of Public Health, St Mary's Hospital Medical; School, London, UK.

Abstract: This paper provides a qualitative analysis of the explanations given by a sample of 78 gay men in England of the most recent occasion on which they engaged in anal intercourse without a condom. Explanations are analysed and interpreted from the sociological perspective of 'accounts': that is, they are not viewed as exact descriptions of the 'real' motives for behaviour but are seen as a powerful resource that can illuminate the knowledge, assumptions and values that inform behaviour. Four distinct types of accounts were identified from the men's descriptions of the circumstances and motivations surrounding their most recent unsafe sexual encounter. These related to: (i) their emotional needs and drives; (ii) the calculus of risk; (iii) issues of trust; and (iv) lapses of control. Each of these types of account is described and the implications of the typology are considered, both for our understanding of the meanings, considerations and constraints surrounding high-risk sexual behaviour and for developing more relevant health education interventions.
Keywords: Adolescence Adult Aged Condoms/*UTILIZATION Emotions England *Homosexuality, Male Human HIV Infections/*PREVENTION & CONTROL Internal-External Control Interpersonal Relations *Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Male Middle Age Models, Psychological Risk Factors *Sex Behavior/PSYCHOLOGY Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Tape Recording JOURNAL ARTICLEKWDadolescenceadultagedcondoms/KWDutilizationemotionsenglandKWDhomosexuality,malehumanhivinfections/KWDprevention&controlinternal-externalcontrolinterpersonalrelationsKWDknowledge,attitudes,practicemalemiddleagemodels,psychologicalriskfactorsKWDsexbehavior/psychologysupport,non-uKWDsKWDgov'ttaperecordingjournalarticle
961030
M96A1449

Copyright © 1996 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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