Meaning of HIV/AIDS Risk for Gay Men in Medellín, Colombia

Resumen

This research aimed to establish the meaning that risk behaviors have for homosexual men in relation to contracting HIV/AIDS through sexual contact. Adopting a qualitative approach, 19 interviews were held with homosexual men residing in the city of Medellín, Colombia. Grounded theory, from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, was used to find the relationship between meanings and behaviors. Coding, categorization, and interpretation processes were conducted. Results show that (a) the clandestine nature of sexual encounters causes risk to be regarded as a way of experiencing affection and that (b) there is an inverse relationship between affection and risk: the stronger the affection the greater the risk avoidance, informed by prevention recommendations; the weaker the affection the greater the proneness to take risks, searching for recognition and denying the information about protective measures.