Making sense of risk: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of risk related to STIs and HIV among Irish gay men

For these Irish gay men, risk is embodied, affective, and culturally scripted, not merely probabilistic. Services may benefit from moving beyond behaviour checklists towards stigma-aware, shared decision-making that surfaces affective/cultural drivers, alongside outcome measurement that includes emotional safety and communication confidence. Transferability is bounded (Irish, HIV-negative participants), but insights may inform psychologically attuned sexual health practice.