Mortal Secrets: Truth and Lies in the Age of AIDS

Appendix: Interview Guide

Code ID Number: Date: This is a study of how people deal with their HIV test result as private, confidential information. When did you first find out your HIV test result, and what was your reaction to it at that time? Who was the first person you told about your HIV test result? Why did you tell that person? What was his or her reaction? How did you feel about that? Whom have you told since then? What have their reactions been? How have you felt about their reactions? Are you in a relationship? If so, for how long? Does this person know your HIV test result? When did you tell her or him your HIV test result? Did you wait? Why then? What did you say exactly? How did the topic come up? What was the person’s reaction? How did you feel about that? Have you ever been rejected by a potential sexual partner because of your HIV test result? What happened? Have you had any anonymous partners/one-night stands or “pick-ups?” About how many? Did you discuss your HIV test result with any of them? How did they react? What happened? What kind of sexual activity did you engage in? Did you use condoms? Were there any times when your HIV test result didn’t come up? What happened ? Did you use condoms? What kind of sexual activity did you engage in? a p p e n d i x I nter v i ew G u i d e Were there any times when you decided not to reveal your HIV test result and said something else about your HIV test result other than the actual result? What did you say? Why did you decide not to reveal your HIV test result? How did you feel about this? Did you use condoms? What kind of sexual activity did you have with the person? Have you had any casual partners since finding out your current HIV test result? Have you told any of them your HIV test result? Whom did you tell? Whom did you not tell? How did you decide whom to tell and what to say? Why then? How did the people react? Who was the hardest person to tell? What made it hard for you to tell him or her? Are there any people you thought about telling and decided not to? Why did you decide not to tell them? Have you ever been glad about telling someone? Have you told your parents about your HIV test result? What were the circumstances in which you told them? What was their reaction? Have you told siblings about your HIV test result? What was their reaction? Have there been situations in which others talked to you about what you should tell others concerning your HIV test result? Has a physician or a counselor ever spoken to you about talking to others concerning your HIV test result? Have your feelings about telling others your HIV test result changed over time? How so? What do you think most of your friends say about their HIV test result to sexual partners? Do you know of anyone who has given inaccurate information about her or his HIV test result to sexual partners? Have you spoken to that person about that? What did you say? Do you think people should tell their sexual partners about their HIV test result? Why? 204 | a p p e n d i x : i n t e r v i e w g u i d e a p p e n d i x : i n t e r v i e w g u i d e | 205 What do you think your sexual partners say about their HIV test result? Have you ever challenged or questioned what a sexual partner said about his or her HIV test result? Can you tell me about any decisions you have ever had to make that involved having to tell the truth about yourself in a difficult situation? Have you ever given inaccurate information to an anonymous partner? To a casual partner? Has telling other people about your HIV test result ever changed the way you think about or see the result? How so? Do you think people have looked at you at all differently because of your HIV test result? How so? Sometimes a doctor or counselor knows that people who...