Contrasting the Perceived Severity of COVID-19 and HIV Infection in an Online Survey of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men During the U.S. COVID-19 Epidemic

• Published in: American journal of men's health Vol. 14; no. 5; p. 1557988320957545
• Main Authors: Stephenson, Rob, Chavanduka, Tanaka M. D., Rosso, Matthew T., Sullivan, Stephen P., Pitter, Renée A., Hunter, Alexis S., Rogers, Erin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2020; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Bisexuality - statistics & numerical data; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disparate Impact of COVID-19 on Men’s Health; Ethnicity - statistics & numerical data; Female; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Incidence; Infections; Internet; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Perceptions; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Risk Assessment; Risk-Taking; Severity of Illness Index; Sexual Behavior; Survival Analysis; United States - epidemiology; Young Adult; United States; United States > US; COVID-19; HIV; gay and bisexual men; health threat
• ISSN: 1557-9883; 1557-9891
• DOI: 10.1177/1557988320957545

While there is evidence of variations in the risk perceptions of COVID-19 and that they are linked to both engagement in health-protective behaviors and poor mental health outcomes, there has been a lack of attention to how individuals perceive the risk of COVID-19 relative to other infectious diseases. This paper examines the relative perceptions of the severity of COVID-19 and HIV among a sample of U.S. gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSMs). The “Love and Sex in the Time of COVID-19” survey was conducted online from April 2020 to May 2020. GBMSMs were recruited through paid banner advertisements featured on social networking platforms, resulting in a sample size of 696. The analysis considers differences in responses to two scales: the Perceived Severity of HIV Infection and the Perceived Severity of COVID-19 Infection. Participants perceived greater seriousness for HIV infection (mean 46.67, range 17–65) than for COVID-19 infection (mean 38.81, range 13–62). Some items reflecting more proximal impacts of infection (anxiety, loss of sleep, and impact on employment) were similar for HIV and COVID-19. Those aged over 25 and those who perceived higher prevalence of COVID-19 in the United States or their state were more likely to report COVID-19 as more severe than HIV. There is a need to develop nuanced public health messages for GBMSMs that convey the ongoing simultaneous health threats of both HIV and COVID-19.