Twenty-four US states have criminal statutes that prohibit HIV-positive persons from engaging in sexual activities without prior disclosure of their HIV status to prospective sex partners. One of the putative goals of these laws is to increase serostatus disclosure by HIV-positive persons, with the expectation that HIV-negative persons will be more likely to take steps to protect themselves from infection if they know their partner has HIV. However, the effectiveness of these laws in encouraging serostatus disclosure, the relationship of disclosure to safer sex practices, and the potential of these laws to inadvertently foster HIV-related stigma or other negative consequences is not known. To begin to address these knowledge gaps, we propose a study with the following specific aims: 1) To determine the extent to which HIV-positive persons living in Michigan are aware of and understand Michigan's criminal HIV disclosure law. 2) To assess the effectiveness of Michigan's criminal HIV disclosure law in reducing HIV transmission risk activities. 3) To determine whether Michigan's criminal HIV disclosure law has any unanticipated negative effects on HIV-positive persons who are knowledgeable about the law such as increasing perceived HIV-related stigma or perceived need to conceal one's disease. To achieve these specific aims we will survey 400 HIV-positive men and women recruited from throughout the state of Michigan. Respondents will be asked to provide information about their familiarity with, sources of information about, and knowledge of Michigan's HIV disclosure law, their recent sexual and disclosure behaviors, and their perception of HIV-related stigma and the need to conceal their HIV status. The findings of this study will be disseminated in academic journals and through conference presentations, and will be summarized in a written report and presentation to policy makers in Michigan.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21MH073495-01A1
Application #
6947618
Study Section
Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS Study Section (BSPH)
Program Officer
Pequegnat, Willo
Project Start
2005-04-22
Project End
2007-03-31
Budget Start
2005-04-22
Budget End
2006-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$209,620
Indirect Cost
Name
Medical College of Wisconsin
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
937639060
City
Milwaukee
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53226
Galletly, Carol L; Pinkerton, Steven D; DiFranceisco, Wayne (2012) A quantitative study of Michigan's criminal HIV exposure law. AIDS Care 24:174-9
Galletly, Carol L; Difranceisco, Wayne; Pinkerton, Steven D (2009) HIV-positive persons' awareness and understanding of their state's criminal HIV disclosure law. AIDS Behav 13:1262-9
Galletly, C L; Dickson-Gomez, J (2009) HIV seropositive status disclosure to prospective sex partners and criminal laws that require it: perspectives of persons living with HIV. Int J STD AIDS 20:613-8
Galletly, Carol L; Pinkerton, Steven D (2008) Preventing HIV transmission via HIV exposure laws: applying logic and mathematical modeling to compare statutory approaches to penalizing undisclosed exposure to HIV. J Law Med Ethics 36:577-84
Pinkerton, Steven David; Holtgrave, David Robert; Galletly, Carol Lynne (2008) Infections prevented by increasing HIV serostatus awareness in the United States, 2001 to 2004. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 47:354-7
Galletly, Carol L; Pinkerton, Steven D; Petroll, Andrew E (2008) CDC recommendations for opt-out testing and reactions to unanticipated HIV diagnoses. AIDS Patient Care STDS 22:189-93
Pinkerton, Steven D; Galletly, Carol L; Seal, David W (2007) Model-Based Estimates of HIV Acquisition Due to Prison Rape. Prison J 87:295-310
Pinkerton, Steven D; Galletly, Carol L (2007) Reducing HIV transmission risk by increasing serostatus disclosure: a mathematical modeling analysis. AIDS Behav 11:698-705
Pinkerton, Steven D; Galletly, Carol L (2007) HIV serostatus disclosure, condoms, and HIV/STD prevention. Sex Transm Dis 34:729
Galletly, Carol L; Pinkerton, Steven D (2006) Conflicting messages: how criminal HIV disclosure laws undermine public health efforts to control the spread of HIV. AIDS Behav 10:451-61