Latent Class Analysis of Online Platforms for Partner-Seeking and Sexual Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men from Central Kentucky

Little is known whether engagement in sexual behaviors associated with potential HIV risks differs by subgroups of men who have sex with men (MSM), who are distinct regarding patterns of use of online tools for partner-seeking. Using latent class analysis, we revealed four classes of app-using MSM (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS and behavior 2024-03, Vol.28 (3), p.1015-1028
Main Authors: Pravosud, Vira, Ballard, April M, Holloway, Ian W, Young, April M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anal intercourse
Anal sex
Digital media
Distance learning
Drug abuse
Gays & lesbians
Health Psychology
Health risks
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Infectious Diseases
Internet
Latent class analysis
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Men who have sex with men
Mens health
Original Paper
Prophylaxis
Public Health
Sexual behavior
Sexually transmitted diseases
Social media
Social networks
STD
Subgroups
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Summary:Little is known whether engagement in sexual behaviors associated with potential HIV risks differs by subgroups of men who have sex with men (MSM), who are distinct regarding patterns of use of online tools for partner-seeking. Using latent class analysis, we revealed four classes of app-using MSM (n = 181, 18–34 y.o., 82.4% identified as White and non-Hispanic) residing in Central Kentucky: the Grindr/Tinder class; the Poly App Use class of MSM-oriented apps; the General Social Media class, and the Bumble class. Unadjusted penalized logistic regressions showed associations of the Poly App Use class with increased numbers of receptive anal sex partners and reporting condomless receptive anal sex. Adjusting for other covariates, poly app users versus others were more likely to be older (25–34 vs. 18–24, AOR = 3.81, 95%CI = 1.70–9.03), to report past six-month illicit drug use (AOR = 2.93, 95%CI = 1.25–7.43) and to have ever used pre-exposure prophylaxis (AOR = 2.79, 95%CI = 1.10–7.12). Poly app users had behavior profiles associated with an elevated HIV risk and also reported HIV-related protective behaviors likely indicating increased risk awareness among this class. Our findings warrant differentiation of behavior profiles by patterns of app use and suggest not to generalize sexual behaviors associated with potential HIV risks to all app-using MSM.
ISSN:1090-7165
1573-3254
DOI:10.1007/s10461-023-04210-0