Contact and proximity were also an important factor. While
participants had more consistent exchanges with their
friends, they also had significant close relationships with
biological families. Family closeness or the loving nature
of the biological family was yet another reason why their
families of origin were important to MSM and significantly
influenced whether they disclosed their serostatus to their
relatives. However, a quarter of the MSM also had a family
of creation that was at least as important as, if not more
important than, their biological family to them.