The Impact of Stressful Life Events on Unprotected Anal Intercourse Among Gay and Bisexual Men

We investigated the hypothesis that gay and bisexual men experiencing stressful life events are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Data were from a cohort study of 155 HIV-positive and 207 HIV-negative men in Ontario, Canada (1998–2007). We quantified the relation between stressful life...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS and behavior 2012-04, Vol.16 (3), p.633-643
Main Authors: Calzavara, Liviana M., Burchell, Ann N., Lebovic, Gerald, Myers, Ted, Remis, Robert S., Raboud, Janet, Corey, Paul, Swantee, Carol, Hart, Trevor A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Adult
Alcohol Abuse
Bisexuality
Bisexuality - psychology
Female
Health Problems
Health Psychology
HIV
HIV Seronegativity
HIV Seropositivity - epidemiology
Homosexuality
Homosexuality, Male - psychology
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Infectious Diseases
Intervention
Interviews as Topic
Life Change Events
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Males
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Men
Middle Aged
Ontario
Ontario - epidemiology
Original Paper
Public Health
Risk factors
Sexual behavior
Sexual Intercourse
Sexual Partners - classification
Sexually transmitted diseases
STD
Stress
Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires
Unsafe Sex - psychology
Unsafe Sex - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:We investigated the hypothesis that gay and bisexual men experiencing stressful life events are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Data were from a cohort study of 155 HIV-positive and 207 HIV-negative men in Ontario, Canada (1998–2007). We quantified the relation between stressful life events and unprotected anal intercourse with a non-regular partner. In the past 6 months, 19% reported unprotected intercourse (HIV+: 28%; HIV−: 13%) and 58% reported one or more stressful life events (HIV+: 64%; HIV−: 55%). Among HIV-negative men, the odds of unprotected intercourse increased by 1.15 for each additional event (95%CI 1.06, 1.24). Among HIV-positive men, those who reported the event “problems due to alcohol or drugs” were 1.80 (95%CI 1.27, 2.56) times more likely to report unprotected intercourse. Interventions to assist men to cope with stress may help to prevent population spread of HIV and improve overall health.
ISSN:1090-7165
1573-3254
DOI:10.1007/s10461-010-9879-5