Non-disclosure of HIV Diminishes Moral Acceptability and Leads to Demeaning: Minimizing Psychological Needs but Not Physical Needs

In the current study, we used vignettes featuring a suspected HIV-positive target with a history of addiction and a sexual partner. The vignettes varied by deed (truth-telling, D+ or lying, D-) and consequence (partner either healthy, C+ or sick, C-), to assess their impact on moral judgments and perceived needs of the target. Our aim was to explore how these dimensions affect moral evaluations and their differential effects on psychological versus physiological needs. Additionally, we examined whether moral judgments mediate the relationship between these dimensions and the perceived importance of needs.