Télécharger la revue en format "pdf". - UQAM

Perceptions of peronal risk tom sexual transmission of HIV 43
Since only the cue "contact with others tested for HIV infection"
demonstrated a significant association with perceived susceptibility, it
alone was combined with the two variables representing sexual
experience and relationship context ("more than one partner" and
"current relationship status") in the second logit analysis. Only data
·
for those who were coitally active were used in this analysis. As is
evident in Table 3, there was an interaction between "contact" and
"more than one partner" (compare model 7 to models 2 and 3) for
both men and women. For women, there was also an interaction
between "more than one partner" and "current relationship status"
(note the gain in R2 analogue from model 9 to model 11 in women as
compared to the lack of gain in men). Thus, for men, model 7, while
for women, model Il, was the preferred model for explaining risk
perception.
The coefficients for the variables measuring contact with a tested
person, prior number of partners, relationship context, and
interactions for the preferred models (7 for men, 11 for women) are
presented in Table 4. Coefficients represent multiplicative changes in
the odds or likelihood of men or women perceiving themselves to be
susceptible to HIV infection. What is evident here is that having had
more than one partner and contact with HIV testing each increased
the odds of perceiving of oneself as susceptible, supporting the
contention that both are operating as cues (Hypothesis 1). Where both
factors existed, however, the interaction between these two variables
eliminated the significant influence of "more than one partner" (.87 x
1.15 = .96 for men, .88 x 1.19 = 1.05 for women). In addition, for
women, current relationship status had the hypothesized suppressant
effect on the likelihood of risk perception (Hypothesis 3), both on its
own and in interaction with the number of partners. When all three
conditions existed (a woman had contact with HIV testing, had more
than one partner, and was currently in a relationship), only the effect
of relationship remained (.88 x .86 x 1.19 x 1.11 = 1.00). Thus, for
coitally active men the major influence on risk perception was contact
with HIV testing (Hypothesis 1), while for women it was current
relationship status (Hypothesis 3), with the number of partners only
having an influence in the absence of contact and, for women, also in
the absence of a relationship.