HIV Disclosure Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Theoretical Synthesis

HIV disclosure can help people living with HIV to access social support, enhance antiretroviral adherence, facilitate engagement in care and reduce unprotected sex. Given interpersonal risks associated with HIV disclosure, however, anxiety about sharing one’s status is common. To investigate anxiety...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS and behavior 2017-01, Vol.21 (1), p.1-11
Main Authors: Evangeli, Michael, Wroe, Abigail L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Antiretroviral agents
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Disclosure
Drugs
Fear & phobias
Fear - psychology
Health Psychology
HIV
HIV Infections - drug therapy
HIV Infections - psychology
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Infectious Diseases
Lentivirus
Medication Adherence
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Models, Psychological
Public Health
Quantitative research
Retroviridae
Reviews
Self Disclosure
Sexually transmitted diseases
Social interactions
Social Stigma
Social Support
STD
Substantive Review
Synthesis
Systematic review
Unsafe Sex
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Summary:HIV disclosure can help people living with HIV to access social support, enhance antiretroviral adherence, facilitate engagement in care and reduce unprotected sex. Given interpersonal risks associated with HIV disclosure, however, anxiety about sharing one’s status is common. To investigate anxiety about HIV disclosure in HIV-positive populations, we conducted a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies, with 119 studies included. The review demonstrated that perceived interpersonal risks are associated with HIV disclosure and outlined evidence of associations with anxiety, fear and worry. We present a new cognitive model of HIV disclosure anxiety adapted from clinical theories of health and social anxiety, consistent with evidence from the review. The model attempts to explain the development and maintenance of anxiety in individuals whose functioning is most affected by concerns about sharing their status. Implications for helping people living with HIV struggling with significant levels of anxiety about HIV disclosure are discussed.
ISSN:1090-7165
1573-3254
DOI:10.1007/s10461-016-1453-3