“Shifting Norms and Value Conflicts: Exploring the Effects of HIV Status Disclosure Fields in Sex-Social Apps

We interviewed MSM living with HIV and those who self-reported being HIV-negative () in the UK and applied a hierarchical model of motivation to interpret our data. We found conflicting motivations for disclosure and point to HIV status disclosure fields having shifted disclosure norms, limiting their perceived optionality. Moreover, the pairwise and location-aware nature of these apps fails to support narrative forms of disclosure, reducing motivation. We highlight an opportunity to support users in disclosing by linking apps more explicitly to the social narratives developed through public health campaigns. This could reduce the required effort to explain “the science” behind different treatment and prevention options and promote a more consistent narrative.

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Recommended citation: Warner, M., Gibbs, J. & Blandford, A. Shifting Norms and Value Conflicts: Exploring the Effects of HIV Status Disclosure Fields in Sex-Social Apps. Arch Sex Behav 53, 1575–1589 (2024).