AEGiS-15IAC: Perceived Norms Regarding the Quantity of Sex Partners in MSM and HIV Risk.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Perceived Norms Regarding the Quantity of Sex Partners in MSM and HIV Risk.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. C10333)

Muench FJ, Irwin T, Morgenstern J, O'Leary A
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York , United States

BACKGROUND: Identifying factors related to HIV risk taking among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) are more urgent now than ever before. HIV infection rates among MSM are on the rise after remaining relatively stable and attitudes and behaviors related to sexual risk taking have changed considerably over the past ten years. This study examined the number of sexual partners and the perceived number of sexual partners of peers and how they are associated with HIV risk taking behaviors.

METHODS: Participants included 183 MSM men who self-reported having difficulty controlling their sexual thoughts and behavior. Participants completed a one-time multi-domain assessment that included measures of sex practices in the last 90 days and perceived norms regarding the number of partners per year of others in the gay community.

RESULTS: The number of perceived sexual partners of others in the gay community per year in this sample (m=84.7/year) is significantly higher than the number of actual sex partners per year as reported in a random digit-dial survey of urban MSM (m=13.4/year), t (174) = 8.01, p<.0001, and is correlated with the number of sexual partners in the last 90 days (m=29.8), r=.37, p<. 0001. A stepwise regression revealed that number of sexual partners in the last 90 days and perceived norms regarding the number of sexual partners per year each uniquely accounted for the number of risky anal sex episodes (m=22.6) in the last 90 days, [beta =.34, p<.0001 and [beta =.24, p<.001, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Interventions and public health messages that concentrate primarily on safer sex messages may be missing and important determinants of risky sex. Focusing on the number of absolute partners and erroneous beliefs about the perceived number of sexual partners of others in the gay community may be an effective means to reducing HIV transmission in this population.

Keywords: AEGIS, Homosexuality, Male, Risk-Taking, Sexual Behavior, Coitus, Safe Sex, Sexual Partners, HIV Infections, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, Data Collection, Humans, Male

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