Frequent and systematic unprotected anal intercourse among men using the Internet to meet other men for sexual purposes in France: results from the “Gay Net Barometer 2006” Survey

Abstract

For men who have sex with men (MSM), the Internet has imposed itself in the past decade as the place to be to meet other men with similar interests for sex or just to surf in search of excitement. This is a biennial study on the MSM in France. Between December 2005 and February 2006, 15,085 MSM completed an online questionnaire on their social and sexual uses of the Internet. Participants in the “The Gay Net Barometer 2006” study responded to questions related to their sexual and sexual risk behaviours. One third of respondents reported at least one event of unprotected anal intercourse while 11.1% reported frequent or systematic unprotected anal intercourse. These sexual risk behaviours were associated with various sociodemographic and sexual variables in addition to the recruitment website. The study suggests Internet users are not a homogeneous group and intervention targeting of them should be based on an in-depth understanding of the sexual cultures operating within websites.

Keywords:

• Internet
• MSM
• barebacking
• anal sex
• sexuality

Acknowledgements

Support for this study came from the Agence nationale de recherche sur le sida et les hépatites virales (ANRS, France), Grant ANRS 2003/2004/123. The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Catherine Paquin-Boivin for data management.