Social support as relationship maintenance in gay male couples coping with HIV or AIDS

The purpose of this study was to explore how particular sources of social support (partners, friends, and family) affect the relationship maintenance of gay male couples in which one (HIV-discordant couples) or both partners have HIV or AIDS (HIV-concordant couples). Using a qualitative grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), 40, one-hour, indepth interviews were conducted with 20 gay male couples, 15 discordant and 5 concordant couples. Findings indicated that relational partners were the primary source of social support for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative partners, followed by close friends, and then family members. The support provided by relational partners was particularly salient to couples in this study. Contrary to past research that has found family members hesitant to provide social support, couples here reported moderate to high levels of support from families. Findings also indicated that gay male couples' social network support from close friends and family functioned both as illness-related social support on an individual level and as a means of relationship maintenance support on the dyadic level. For couples dealing with chronic illness, these findings suggest that illness-related social support also likely serves relationship maintenance functions. Future research is needed to explore the degree to which the interdependence of social support and relationship maintenance can be strategically utilized by couples coping with chronic illness.