Disclosure of HIV seropositivity to sexual partners: An application of social cognitive theory

The present study used social cognitive theory to examine self-disclosure o f HIV seropositivity to sexual partners in a sample of 223 HIV-positive ind ividuals. Participants were primarily male, Caucasian, gay or bisexual, wit h an average age of 36 years. Eighty-two percent of the sample disclosed th eir serostatus to at least one sexual partner in the past 4 months; however , disclosure rates varied by gender, partner type, and number of partners. Multiple regression analyses predicting disclosure behavior on the basis of social cognitive variables revealed the significance of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies. These findings suggest the clinical importance of foc using on the enhancement of self-efficacy and positive outcome expectancies as techniques to assist clients with self-disclosure of HIV serostatus to sexual partners.