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HIV prevention programs should focus on young MSM in committed relationships
Mustanski B. Health Psychol. 2011;doi:10.1037/a0023858.
Young men who have sex with men in committed relationships are more likely to have unprotected sex. Therefore, improved HIV prevention programs are needed for this population, rather than only focusing on those in casual relationships, according to Brian Mustanski, PhD, and colleagues.
“Being in a committed and healthy relationship provides a number of mental and physical health benefits, but the same trust that is healthy also leads to less condom use, which can put individuals at risk for HIV,” Mustanski, associate professor and director of the IMPACT LGBT Health and Development Program at Northwestern University, told Infectious Disease News. “This is particularly the case in populations where HIV prevalence is high and few individuals who are HIV positive know their status. Unfortunately, young, gay and bisexual men fit both of these criteria.”
The researchers set out to examine the effects of relationship characteristics on the frequency of unprotected sex among 117 MSM aged 16 to 20 years. Data on relationship characteristics and partner behaviors were assessed at baseline, 6 and 18 months.
Participants reported a median of one partner per 6 months; an estimated 5.74 episodes of unprotected sex was reported for each partnership.
Approximately half of all relationships were considered serious. Those who considered their relationship serious were eight times more likely to have unprotected sex compared with those in casual relationships. Behaviors that increased the likelihood of having unprotected sex included older partners, drug use before sex, physical violence, forced sex and partnership lasting more than 6 months, according to the researchers.
Blacks were the largest group represented in the study (48.4%), followed by whites (18.9%) and Hispanics (12.3%). Compared with 81.5% of participants who had never been tested for HIV, 6% reported a known HIV status and 60.5% reported being tested within the previous 6 months.
“Providers need to help young, gay and bisexual men obtain regular HIV testing and counsel them on how to engage in safer sex within a serious relationship,” Mutanski said. “We need to understand more about the patterns of relationship formation in young male couples and how to effectively promote sexual health within these couples. Since nearly 80% of HIV transmissions occur within serious relationships among young MSM, we should make these couples our primary research focus.”
Disclosure: Dr. Mustankski reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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