Factors Associated with HIV Status Disclosure to Ones Steady Sexual Partner in PLHIV in Morocco

International audienceThe objective of the present study was todetermine the factors independently associated with disclosureof seropositivity to one’s steady sexual partner inpeople living with HIV (PLHIV) who are recipients ofservices provided by Association de Lutte Contre le Sida, aMoroccan community-based organization (CBO) workingon AIDS response. Between May and October 2011, 300PLHIV were interviewed about their sociodemographicand economic characteristics, their sexual life and disclosureof their serostatus to their friends, family and to theirsteady sexual partner. A weighted logistic regression wasused to study factors associated with serostatus disclosureto one’s steady sexual partner. We restricted the analysis topeople who declared they had a steady sexual partner(n = 124). Median age was 36 years old, 56 % were menand 62 % declared that they had disclosed their serostatusto their steady sexual partner. The following factors wereindependently associated with disclosure: living with one’ssteady sexual partner [OR 95 % CI: 9.85 (2.86–33.98)],having a higher living-standard index [2.06 (1.14–3.72)],regularly discussing HIV with friends [6.54 (1.07–39.77)]and CBO members [4.44 (1.27–15.53)], and having ahigher social exclusion score [1.24 (1.07–1.44)]. Unemployment(as opposed to being a housewife) was negativelyassociated with disclosure [0.12 (0.02–0.87)]. Despite thepotential positive effects for the prevention of HIV transmissionand for adherence to HIV treatment, many PLHIVhad not disclosed their serostatus to their steady sexualpartner. Some factors shown here to be significantly associatedwith such disclosure will help in the development offuture support interventions