Spared at Random: Survivor Reactions in the Gay Community1

Many gay men who have tested negative for HIV were sexually active prior to a general awareness of how HIV is transmitted. Based on the work of Lifton (1980), such HIV‐negative gay men may be considered “survivors” since they have witnessed the deaths of many members of their community and have been spared. Survivors may be expected to manifest one or more of three survivor reactions: guilt about surviving (HIV‐related guilt), anxiety about dying (AIDS‐related death anxiety), and blunted affect. The present study employed structural equation modeling in samples of HIV‐negative ( N = 129) and HIV‐positive ( N = 95) gay men to assess psychological and behavioral variables predictive of the presence of a survivor reaction. Survivor reactions were uniquely predicted among HIV‐negative gay men. The larger the number of sexual partners HIV‐negative gay men reported having had prior to 1984, the more likely they were to experience a survivor reaction. Greater satisfaction with social support from gay friends, and, indirectly, gay‐related community group involvement, was associated with being less likely to experience a survivor reaction.