Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK; and Corresponding author. Email:
School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG1 4FQ, UK.
Sex Health. 2020 Dec;17(6):525-533. doi: 10.1071/SH20154.
Background Combination prevention, which includes pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is essential for achieving the zero HIV infections target in the UK by 2030. It is important to assess attitudes towards PrEP in at-risk populations. This study focuses on the effect of discrimination and HIV conspiracy theorising on attitudes towards PrEP in gay men in the UK.
In total, 244 White British gay men completed a survey that included demographic questions and measures of sexual health screening, hypervigilance, sexual orientation discrimination, quality of contact with healthcare professionals, belief in conspiracy theories and attitudes towards PrEP. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression and mediation analysis.
Discrimination was positively correlated with HIV conspiracy beliefs and negatively correlated with PrEP acceptance. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the relationship between discrimination and attitudes towards PrEP was explained by HIV conspiracy theorising. Gay men who had attended a sexual health screening (vs never attended) reported higher belief in HIV conspiracy theories. A further mediation analysis showed that reported poor contact with a healthcare professional was associated with an increased belief in HIV conspiracy theories, which was associated with negative attitudes towards PrEP. Both perceived discrimination and poor contact with a healthcare professional were exacerbated by hypervigilance.
HIV conspiracy theorising is an important variable in understanding attitudes towards PrEP among gay men. Its roots are in adverse social experiences (e.g. discrimination, poor contact with healthcare professionals) and its consequences may be the rejection of PrEP. HIV prevention and PrEP campaigns must focus on prejudice reduction and on challenging conspiracy beliefs.
背景 联合预防措施，包括暴露前预防（PrEP），对于英国到 2030 年实现零艾滋病毒感染目标至关重要。评估高危人群对 PrEP 的态度非常重要。本研究专注于歧视和艾滋病毒阴谋论对英国男同性恋者对 PrEP 的态度的影响。
共有 244 名英国白人男同性恋者完成了一项调查，其中包括人口统计学问题以及性健康筛查、过度警觉、性取向歧视、与医疗保健专业人员的接触质量、对阴谋论的信仰和对 PrEP 的态度的衡量标准。使用多元线性回归和中介分析对数据进行了分析。
歧视与艾滋病毒阴谋信念呈正相关，与 PrEP 接受度呈负相关。中介分析表明，歧视与 PrEP 态度之间的关系可以用艾滋病毒阴谋论来解释。参加过性健康筛查（与从未参加过相比）的男同性恋者报告称，他们更相信艾滋病毒阴谋论。进一步的中介分析表明，与医疗保健专业人员的不良接触与对艾滋病毒阴谋论的信仰增加有关，而这与对 PrEP 的负面态度有关。过度警觉加剧了感知到的歧视和与医疗保健专业人员的不良接触。
艾滋病毒阴谋论是理解男同性恋者对 PrEP 态度的一个重要变量。它的根源在于不良的社会经历（例如歧视、与医疗保健专业人员的不良接触），其后果可能是拒绝 PrEP。艾滋病毒预防和 PrEP 运动必须注重减少偏见和挑战阴谋论。
