Understanding why gay men seek HIV-seroconcordant partners: intimacy and risk reduction motivations.

Our goal was to situate the interest of some gay men in having HIV-seroconcordant partners within the psychosocial context of concurrent motivations for intimacy and sexual risk reduction. Data were obtained from semi-structured qualitative interviews with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 32 gay men (16 HIV-positive and 16 HIV-negative) living in New York City who sought HIV-seroconcordant partners. Thematic analysis indicated that seroconcordant partner selection was strongly motivated by a desire to reduce sexual risk as well as the pursuit of multiple forms of intimacy. Affirmative experiences in seroconcordant relationships and goals for future long-term relationships also informed men's current partner selection practices. When seeking seroconcordant partners, men reported key junctures and disjunctures between motivations for intimacy and interests in risk reduction. Our findings suggest that HIV prevention efforts will have greater relevance if they address broader motivational concerns for partner selection and serosorting, including the pursuit of intimacy.