The Motives of Gay Men for Taking or Not Taking the HIV Antibody Test

Abstract

This paper analyzes the motives for taking or not taking the HIV antibody test among a sample of 120 gay men. The motives were forged from prevailing cultural constructions of the HIV test. The most commonly cited motives for taking the test were: to take medical treatments for HIV infection, to become motivated to make needed health and lifestyle changes, to clarify an ambiguous medical condition, to inform sexual decision making, and to relieve psychological distress associated with not knowing HIV status. The most frequently reported motives for not taking the test were: to avoid the adverse psychological impact of a positive test result, to avoid social discrimination and repressive governmental actions, to avoid an ambiguous or unreliable test result, and to avoid having to make undesired lifestyle changes.