An Event-Level Analysis of the Interpersonal Factors Associated With Condomless Anal Sex Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) With Online-Met Partners

AIDS Educ Prev. 2017 Apr;29(2):154-174. doi: 10.1521/aeap.2017.29.2.154.

Abstract

The interpersonal determinants of condomless anal sex (CAS) within online-initiated sexual relationships remain poorly understood. Therefore, respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit a prospective cohort of sexually active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), aged ≥ 16 years in Vancouver, Canada. Follow-up occurred every 6 months, up to seven visits; at each visit participants reported their last sexual encounter with their five most recent partners. Stratified by self-reported HIV status, individual-level, interpersonal, and situational covariates of event-level CAS with partners met online were modeled using generalized estimating equations (GEE). CAS was reported during 32.4% (n = 1,015/3,133) of HIV-negative/unknown men's events, and 62.1% (n = 576/928) of HIV-positive men's events. Social (i.e., collective identity, altruism, network size social embeddedness) and situational (i.e., number of encounters, location, comparative age, seroconcordance, substance use) factors were identified as important correlates of CAS. Implications include the need for HIV prevention addressing social contexts associated with CAS.

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bisexuality / statistics & numerical data*
  • Condoms / statistics & numerical data*
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control
  • HIV Seropositivity
  • Health Surveys
  • Homosexuality, Male / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Internet
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk-Taking
  • Sexual Behavior / statistics & numerical data*
  • Sexual Partners*
  • Social Behavior
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Unsafe Sex / statistics & numerical data*