Disclosure of HIV positive status is an on-going process of discussion about the disease to sexual partners, family members or others in their social circle gradually overtime, as the individual matures cognitively, socially, emotionally and sexually. Sub Saharan Africa continues to be the epicentre of HIV with about 70% of people living with HIV globally, with a low rate of disclosure of about 61% among HIV positive patients. HIV status disclosure is critical to prevention, access to health care and treatment. The study examined the factors influencing a person’s decision to disclose his/her positive status to their sexual partners among clients attending Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The study adopted a quantitative design, using a descriptive cross sectional approach to identify factors influencing disclosure of positive status to partners among people living with HIV. The data was collected from a convenience sample of two hundred people living with HIV using an adopted questionnaire. The data was coded and analysed through a descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings from this study revealed that there are numerous factors which influenced HIV status disclosure 78% female participants living with HIV disclose more to their sexual partners compared to their male counterparts. Influence of Stigmatization was identified as a factor which influences HIV status disclosure to others. Stigmatization accounted for 24.3%, with a significance influence and a major reason for delayed or non-disclosure. HIV acceptance accounted for 27.4% of the variance, it, therefore, had a significant influence on disclosure. Social Support accounted for 24.3% of the variance in the disclosure and therefore has a significant influence on disclosure. It was recommended among others that disclosure should be the pinnacle of pre and post-counselling and should be considered a concern of healthcare providers of various disciplines who care for persons living with HIV as well as health authorities, municipalities and community organizations.

Keywords: Self-Disclosure, HIV Positive Status, sexual partners,

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