‘Why are PrEP gays always like this … ’: psychosocial influences on U.K.-based men who have sex with men’s perceptions and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Gifford, AJ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8337-9951, Jaspal, R, Jones, BA ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8872-5847 and McDermott, DT ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7005-6446, 2025. ‘Why are PrEP gays always like this … ’: psychosocial influences on U.K.-based men who have sex with men’s perceptions and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. Psychology and Sexuality, 16 (3), pp. 765-788. ISSN 1941-9899

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Abstract

Background: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a prescription-based drug used to prevent the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In the four nations of the United Kingdom, those with increased need for HIV prevention (e.g. some groups of men who have sex with men) are eligible for PrEP for free, provided by the National Health Service. However, the uptake of PrEP has faced several challenges and many still report barriers to accessing PrEP. This current study aimed to augment current understandings of key psychosocial factors that encourage and inhibit PrEP usage.

Method: Twenty-two individuals participated in a qualitative interview study and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results: The findings are presented under three themes: (1) Reckoning with the Legacies of HIV; (2) PrEP versus Condoms: tensions of sexual liberation!; and (3) The Transposition of PrEP Stigma.

Conclusion: This study highlights current psychosocial barriers to PrEP uptake and use, as well as the benefits (e.g. reduced HIV anxiety) that PrEP usage can elicit. Three superordinate themes describe how PrEP use is influenced by perceptions of HIV and individuals’ condom use preferences. These coalesce into an identity of a ‘PrEP User’, shaping how stigmas associated with PrEP are then both attributed and mitigated. These data hold merit for informing future PrEP uptake campaigns.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Psychology and Sexuality
Creators:	Gifford, A.J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B.A. and McDermott, D.T.
Publisher:	Routledge
Date:	18 January 2025
Volume:	16
Number:	3
ISSN:	1941-9899
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/19419899.2025.2452198 DOI 2348041 Other
Rights:	© 2025 the author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	22 Jan 2025 10:57
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2026 12:07
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52897

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