{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T02:44:31Z","timestamp":1782182671211,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,1]],"date-time":"2020-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1598918400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Am J Mens Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>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 \u201cLove and Sex in the Time of COVID-19\u201d 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\u201365) than for COVID-19 infection (mean 38.81, range 13\u201362). 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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1557988320957545","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,17]],"date-time":"2020-09-17T01:13:50Z","timestamp":1600305230000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["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"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9239-2640","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rob","family":"Stephenson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Systems, Population and Leadership, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"},{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tanaka M. D.","family":"Chavanduka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0297-758X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthew T.","family":"Rosso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephen P.","family":"Sullivan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ren\u00e9e A.","family":"Pitter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9941-7778","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexis S.","family":"Hunter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Erin","family":"Rogers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1557988320957545","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bish A., Michie S. 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