Despite its effectiveness at preventing HIV, uptake of PrEP has been slow. PrEP-related stigma is a potential barrier to uptake. Social support has been found to buffer against some PrEP stigma. Unfortunately, little research has investigated the relationship between social support and PrEP-related care. In 2018, we conducted 20 semistructured interviews with MSM who use PrEP (ages 22-70). Interview questions explored social support and PrEP-related stigma, and how these and other psychosocial factors affected PrEP use and continuation. Data were analyzed using grounded theory. Social support was important in PrEP-related care and promoted adaptive behavioral responses, such as adherence to PrEP-related medical care and enhancing resilience to stress. Participants described psychosocial benefits of PrEP, such as reduced HIV-related anxiety, but some also reported that PrEP-related stigma was an additional stressor. Findings suggest that social support has significant impacts within PrEP-related care and may help buffer against stigma.
Keywords: HIV/AIDS; MSM; PrEP; gay; social support; stigma.