Abstract
Men who have sex with men (MSM) often create sexual agreements with their partners, but little is known about agreements with serious versus causal partners. We used data from 472 young MSM to examine agreements with one’s most recent partner, individual differences across types of partnerships and agreements, and predictors of condomless anal sex (CAS). Two-thirds of participants did not have agreements. Monogamous agreements were most common among those who were seriously dating their partner, but also present among those who were casually dating their partner and those who were not dating their partner. Participants who were seriously dating their partner reported the most frequent sexual health communication. Participants without agreements reported the lowest frequency of and comfort with sexual health communication. Participants who were seriously dating their partner and those with monogamous agreements were most likely to report CAS. HIV prevention should address communication with serious and casual partners.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 335-349 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | AIDS Education and Prevention |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2018 |
Funding
Brian A. Feinstein, PhD, is affiliated with the Northwestern University Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Chicago, Illinois. Trey V. Dellucci, MS, is with the Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training, Hunter College of the City University of New York, and with the Health Psychology and Clinical Science Doctoral Training Program, Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Patrick S. Sullivan, PhD, is with the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Brian Mustanski, PhD, is with the Northwestern University Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing and with the Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health (R01DA035145; R01DA035145-02S1). The first author’s time was also supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708). The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health. Address correspondence to Brian A. Feinstein, PhD, Northwestern University Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, 625 N. Michigan Ave. #14-047, Chicago, IL 60611. E-mail: [email protected] This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health (R01DA035145; R01DA035145-02S1). The first author’s time was also supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (F32DA042708). The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health.
Keywords
- Bisexual
- Communication
- Gay
- HIV
- Men who have sex with men
- Sexual agreements
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases
