 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Maria Cecilia Zea, PhD, Department of Psychology, George Washington University, Building GG, 2125 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, 202-994-6321, zea@gwu.edu
Self-disclosure is the act of sharing private information with others. Self-disclosure can lead to some potential gain or else we wouldn’t engage in it, but it cam also pose risks as well. Greater closeness with the target of disclosure or offers of emotional or practical support can all be outcomes of engaging in disclosure. Rejection and disapproval or even loss of life, however, can result as a consequence of disclosing sensitive information. This vulnerability is especially relevant when the information revealed is potentially embarrassing, negative, or emotionally intense (Omarzu, 2000), as could be the case with HIV-positive status. This presentation will include findings from a study on disclosure of seropositive status to members of the social network (parents, friends, and main sexual partner) of 155 HIV-positive Latino gay men from Washington, DC and New York City. Target-related contextual factors, such as whether participants have disclosed their sexual orientation to that specific target, closeness, and anticipated reactions from target, will be examined as potential contributors to disclosure of seropositive status. Findings from another study examining disclosure of HIV status to sex partners will also be presented. The sample is a subset of a much larger study on Latino gay men from New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami (Diaz et el., 2001). The sample subset consisted of the HIV-positive individuals (n = 129) from the larger sample (N = 912). Disclosure of serostatus was related to solicitation of partner’s serostatus, highlighting the importance of communication reciprocity.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.