Privacy concerns, HIV care provider trust, and clinical care engagement among women living with HIV in response to the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure in Canada

In 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that people with HIV have a legal obligation to disclose their serostatus to partners prior to sex that poses a “realistic possibility” of HIV transmission. This study used Wave 2 survey data from 1422 women living with HIV (WLWH) enrolled in the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study to examine (1) the proportion and socio-demographic characteristics of WLWH who perceived privacy concerns due to the law; (2) the association between WLWH’s privacy concerns and trust of HIV care providers; and (3) the association between WLWH’s privacy concerns and HIV clinical care engagement. Results showed that a majority of participants reported privacy concerns, and that the socio-economically vulnerable women had significantly higher odds of privacy concerns. WLWH with lower provider trust had higher odds of privacy concerns. There was no significant association between privacy concerns and HIV care engagement.