Help-seeking for AIDS high-risk sexual behavior among gay and bisexual African-American men.

ABSTRACT

Help-seeking for AIDS high-risk sexual behavior and its association with HIV status were examined among 318 gay and bisexual men in the San Francisco Bay Area who participated in the African American Men's Health Project, a longitudinal survey of gay and bisexual African-American men. A third (36%) of the sample reported seeking help regarding their concerns about HIV high-risk sexual behavior. Peers and professionals were the most widely sought sources of help and the sources perceived to be the most helpful. Men (39%) who had received the HIV antibody test and who were HIV seropositive were more likely to seek help than men who were HIV seronegative or did not know their HIV status (25%). Furthermore, gay men who were HIV seropositive or who knew their serostatus were more likely to seek help from professionals and peers. Explanations for the differences in help-seeking by HIV-seropositive men are discussed with implications for the development of social support for HIV risk reduction among gay and bisexual African-American men.