Reasons for Inconsistent AIDS-Preventive Behaviors Among Gay Men.

The article presents a study that examined the preventative measures which gay men employed to counteract their exposure to AIDS. Although many studies have reported significant increases in AIDS-preventive behavior (APB) among gay men, they have also found that many individuals retain residual risk behavior. To investigate the dynamics underlying this inconsistency in APB performance, focus group discussions were conducted with 41 gay men. Content analysis indicated that although most men had modified their sexual behavior in response to concerns about AIDS and perceived these changes to be sufficient to reduce or eliminate risk, for many, actual practice of safer sex was erratic. Respondents did not express motivation to initiate farther behavior change, perhaps because they considered their current behavior an adequate response to the threat of infection. In recent years, a great deal of quantitative research has documented sexual behavior change by gay men in response to the AIDS epidemic. Many of these studies indicate that gay men have made significant attempts to modify their sexual practices, that is, reducing AIDS risk behavior (ARB) and increasing AIDS- preventive behavior (APB).