Talk among Sexual Partners about AIDS

This study identified factors that differentiate among four groups relative to talking about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) with a sexual partner: safe-sex talkers, general AIDS talkers, nontalkers, and want-to-be talkers. Relational issues rather than health issues dominated differences among groups. Faced with risking one's long-term health versus risking one's immediate interpersonal relationship, many who opted not to talk with their sexual partners about AIDS gave the relationship preeminence. More troublesome is the very absence of differences between safe-sex talkers and general AIDS talkers. The two groups failed to differ in most attitudes about condom use and AIDS talk and in their sexual and preventive behavior. The discussion explores functions of talking about AIDS and the implications of the dominance of relational functions of talking about AIDS with a sexual partner over health-promotion functions. One interpretation suggests that talking about AIDS may function to enhance rather than diminish risk.