scholarly journals Exploring the role of sex-seeking apps and websites in the social and sexual lives of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional study

Sexual Health ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiffer G. Card ◽  
Nathan J. Lachowsky ◽  
Zishan Cui ◽  
Susan Shurgold ◽  
Maya Gislason ◽  
...  

Background The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between online sex-seeking, community/social attachment and sexual behaviour. Methods: Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 774 sexually active gay and bisexual men in Vancouver, Canada, aged ≥16 years. Multivariable logistic regression compared men who had used online sex-seeking apps/websites in the past 6 months (n = 586) with those who did not (n = 188). Results: Multivariable results showed that online sex seekers were more likely to be younger [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.95, 95% CI: (0.93–0.96)], college educated [aOR = 1.60, 95% CI: (1.07, 2.40)], have more Facebook friends [aOR = 1.07, 95% CI: (1.01, 1.13)], spend more social time with other gay men [aOR = 1.99, 95% CI: (1.33–2.97)], and were less likely to identify emotionally with the gay community [aOR = 0.93, 95% CI: (0.86–1.00)]. Further, they had displayed high sensation-seeking behaviour [aOR = 1.08, 95% CI: (1.03–1.13)], were more likely to engage in serodiscordant/unknown condomless anal sex [aOR = 2.34, 95% CI: (1.50–3.66)], use strategic positioning [aOR = 1.72, 95% CI: (1.08–2.74)], ask their partner’s HIV-status prior to sex [aOR = 2.06, 95% CI: (1.27–3.37)], and have ever been tested for HIV [aOR = 4.11, 95% CI: (2.04–8.29)]. Conclusion: These findings highlight the online and offline social behaviour exhibited by gay and bisexual men, pressing the need for pro-social interventions to promote safe-sex norms online. We conclude that both Internet and community-based prevention will help reach app/web users.

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 516-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric P F Chow ◽  
Vincent J Cornelisse ◽  
Deborah A Williamson ◽  
David Priest ◽  
Jane S Hocking ◽  
...  

ObjectivesA mathematical model suggested that a significant proportion of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea cases are acquired via oropharynx-to-oropharynx transmission (ie, tongue-kissing), but to date, no empirical study has investigated this. This study aimed to examine the association between kissing and oropharyngeal gonorrhoea among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (MSM).MethodsMSM attending a public sexual health centre in Melbourne, Australia, between March 2016 and February 2017 were invited to participate in a brief survey that collected data on their number of male partners in the last 3 months, in three distinct categories: kissing-only (ie, no sex including no oral and/or anal sex), sex-only (ie, any sex without kissing), and kissing-with-sex (ie, kissing with any sex). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between oropharyngeal gonorrhoea positivity by nucleic acid amplification tests and the three distinct partner categories.ResultsA total of 3677 men completed the survey and were tested for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea. Their median age was 30 (IQR 25–37) and 6.2% (n=229) had oropharyngeal gonorrhoea. Men had a mean number of 4.3 kissing-only, 1.4 sex-only, and 5.0 kissing-with-sex partners in the last 3 months. Kissing-only and kissing-with-sex were associated with oropharyngeal gonorrhoea, but sex-only was not. The adjusted odds for having oropharyngeal gonorrhoea were 1.46-fold (95% CI 1.04 to 2.06) for men with ≥4 kissing-only partners and 1.81-fold (95% CI 1.17 to 2.79) for men with ≥4 kissing-with-sex partners.ConclusionsThese data suggest that kissing may be associated with transmission of oropharyngeal gonorrhoea in MSM, irrespective of whether sex also occurs.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Kilner ◽  
Christopher Fairley ◽  
Sam Burrell ◽  
Catriona Bradshaw ◽  
Marcus Chen ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denton Callander ◽  
Su Hyun Park ◽  
Yazan A. Al-Ajlouni ◽  
John A. Schneider ◽  
Maria R. Khan ◽  
...  

As a prevention strategy, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may benefit men who participate in group sex, but little is known about PrEP among this group internationally and virtually nothing is known of the European context. This study used an online survey of gay men living in Paris, France to assess associations between group sex and awareness of, use and interest in PrEP in its once-daily, episodic, injectable, and microbicidal forms. Men reporting recent (within 3 months) condomless group sex were much more likely to report once-daily PrEP use than men with no group sex experience (41.5% vs 7.7%, p < .001). Uptake was similarly low among men who had group sex with condoms (8.0%) and those with less-recent experience (6.43%). Overall, willingness to use PrEP—including its non-daily forms—was high among men reporting group sex, suggesting opportunities for outreach and implementation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1174-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna N. Chard ◽  
Catherine Finneran ◽  
Patrick S. Sullivan ◽  
Rob Stephenson

Sexual Health ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett Prestage ◽  
Benjamin Bavinton ◽  
Denton Callander ◽  
Steven P. Philpot ◽  
Iryna Zablotska ◽  
...  

Background Among gay and bisexual men (GBM), ‘serosorting’ is common and involves restricting sex, or at least condomless sex, to partners of the same HIV status. The prevalence of men conveying their serosorting preferences regarding partners they meet online remains unclear. Methods: This study reviewed 57 178 Australian online profiles obtained directly from a popular gay website. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with preferences for meeting HIV-positive partners. Results: Men could indicate their preferences from a list of 22 types of partners; 4358 profiles (7.6%) indicated an interest in meeting HIV-positive men. There were 1959 profiles (3.4%) listing a preference for 21 of the 22 types of men, including 1498 men (2.6%) that specifically excluded HIV-positive men. Men who specifically excluded HIV-positive men on their profiles were younger (mean age 34.7 years), less likely to identify as gay (25.6%) and more likely to always prefer ‘safer sex’ (55.3%) than those who specifically included them (mean age 39.6 years; 62.8% gay-identified; 30.9% preferred safer sex; P < 0.001). Men who specifically excluded HIV-positive partners on their profiles were also more likely to live outside major capital cities (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Being younger, living outside major cities, not identifying as gay, always preferring safer sex and either Caucasian or Asian background were associated with excluding HIV-positive men as potential sex partners. These factors may reflect lower social and community engagement with the gay community. The disinclination to include HIV-positive men as potential sex partners may be due to fear of infection, stigma or poor information about HIV.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor A. Hart ◽  
Natalie Stratton ◽  
Todd A. Coleman ◽  
Holly A. Wilson ◽  
Scott H. Simpson ◽  
...  

Background Even in the presence of promising biomedical treatment as prevention, HIV incidence among men who have sex with men has not always decreased. Counseling interventions, therefore, continue to play an important role in reducing HIV sexual transmission behaviors among gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men. The present study evaluated effects of a small-group counseling intervention on psychosocial outcomes and HIV sexual risk behavior. Method HIV-positive (HIV+) peer counselors administered seven 2-hour counseling sessions to groups of 5 to 8 HIV+ gay and bisexual men. The intervention employed information provision, motivational interviewing, and behavioral skills building to reduce sexual transmission risk behaviors. Results There was a significant reduction in condomless anal sex (CAS) with HIV-negative and unknown HIV-status partners, from 50.0% at baseline to 28.9% of the sample at 3-month follow-up. Findings were robust even when controlling for whether the participant had an undetectable viral load at baseline. Significant reductions were also found in the two secondary psychosocial outcomes, loneliness and sexual compulsivity. Conclusions The findings provide preliminary evidence that this intervention may offer an efficient way of concurrently reducing CAS and mental health problems, such as sexual compulsivity and loneliness, for HIV+ gay and bisexual men. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02546271


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