A relative profile of HIV-negative users of French websites for men seeking men and predictors of their regular risk taking: a comparison with HIV-positive users

Abstract

The Net Gay Baromètre is a biennial survey among users of France's most popular websites for men who have sex with men (MSM). Given the recent increases in HIV infection and sexual risk practices among French MSM, this study aims to: (1) create a socio-sexual profile of HIV-negative men (HIV−); (2) identify predictors of regular unprotected anal intercourse (RUAI) in this group, and responding to a call for stratifying analyses of online samples of MSM by HIV status; and (3) perform the former two aims by comparing HIV− men with HIV-positive men (HIV+). Statistical analyses were conducted with 11,771 HIV− men and 2130 HIV+ men who completed the online survey between December 2008 and March 2009. Regarding the first aim, fewer HIV− men, relative to HIV+ men, were exposed to factors conducive to sexually transmitted infection; in the previous 12 months, smaller proportions of this group had gone to venues where sexual encounters were possible, engaged in an esoteric sexual activity, had a high number of casual partners, and practiced unprotected anal sex, RUAI or barebacking. However, multivariate regression analyses identifying predictors of RUAI in each group revealed common predictors: sensation-seeking, esoteric activities, oral contact with sperm, and barebacking (in a couple), although odds were generally higher in HIV+ men. Our findings raise the possibility of a sexual culture accentuating pleasure and adventurism that may gain in amplitude once seroconversion takes place.

Keywords:

• Internet
• MSM
• France
• HIV status
• sexual practices

Acknowledgements

This article emerges from a collaboration with four research groups or organizations: the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France), the Gay Net Baromètre surveys (France and Quebec), Université du Québec à Montréal's Canada Research Chair in Health Education (Quebec), and the Institut de veille sanitaire (France) which provided funding (05-N-MIT10-75). We thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.