Holt Martin, Bernard Diana, Race Kane
National Centre in HIV Social Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Sex Health. 2010 Dec;7(4):411-6. doi: 10.1071/SH09117.
Gay men are considerably more likely than their heterosexual peers to be diagnosed with a sexually transmissible infection (STI), yet relatively little has been published on gay men's perceptions of STIs other than HIV.
Drawing on interviews conducted with Sydney gay men, we analysed perceptions of STIs, and men's experiences of testing and diagnosis.
Over half the men in the study had ever been diagnosed with an STI. STIs were generally regarded as inconvenient consequences of sexual activity. Viral, recurring STIs were viewed as being more serious than curable, bacterial STIs. However, all STIs were considered as considerably less important than HIV. Condom use and regular STI testing were the most commonly used strategies to manage the risk of STIs. Despite the relative lack of concern attributed to STIs, being diagnosed with an STI could generate feelings of shame, embarrassment and annoyance. For some men, education campaigns appeared to have helped destigmatise STIs and encourage regular testing.
We believe that to maintain high rates of STI testing among gay men, community education efforts should continue to reduce the stigma associated with STIs and greater support should be offered to gay men when they receive an STI diagnosis.
男同性恋者被诊断出患有性传播感染（STI）的可能性比异性恋同龄人高得多，但除了艾滋病毒外，关于男同性恋者对性传播感染的认知的研究相对较少。
基于对悉尼男同性恋者进行的访谈，我们分析了他们对性传播感染的认知以及检测和诊断经历。
研究中超过一半的男性曾被诊断出患有性传播感染。性传播感染通常被视为性活动带来的不便后果。病毒性、复发性性传播感染被认为比可治愈的细菌性性传播感染更严重。然而，所有性传播感染都被认为比艾滋病毒重要性低得多。使用避孕套和定期进行性传播感染检测是最常用的降低性传播感染风险的策略。尽管对性传播感染相对缺乏关注，但被诊断出患有性传播感染可能会产生羞耻、尴尬和烦恼的情绪。对一些男性来说，教育活动似乎有助于消除对性传播感染的污名化并鼓励定期检测。
我们认为，为了保持男同性恋者的高性传播感染检测率，社区教育工作应继续减少与性传播感染相关的污名，并且在男同性恋者被诊断出患有性传播感染时应给予更多支持。
