Psychosociobehavioral characteristics associated with high condomless anal intercourse intention: a comparison of receptive, versatile, and insertive MSM in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

In Taiwan, men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, and the main route of HIV transmission is condomless anal intercourse (CAI). This study examined the associations between psychosociobehavioral characteristics and CAI intention among MSM in Taiwan who had ever engaged in anal intercourse with men, and compared the differences across three sexual roles (receptive, versatile, and insertive) using online survey data (N = 563). For all MSM, those that were in a relationship (AOR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.61–4.03), had three or more steady partners (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.19–5.58), did not use a condom during last anal intercourse (AOR = 6.81; 95% CI: 4.36–10.63), perceived high HIV risk (AOR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.26–3.60), and had high sexual sensation seeking (AOR = 2.80; 95% CI: 1.82–4.30) were more likely to have high CAI intention. After stratification, the significant characteristics differed depending on sexual role, except for no condom use during last anal intercourse remaining significant in all models (AOR = 5.09–20.30; 95% CI: 2.49–66.69, depending on sexual role). Tailoring the programs for MSM of different sexual roles may improve the effectiveness of future prevention efforts.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV/AIDS
• condomless anal intercourse (CAI)
• men who have sex with men (MSM)
• sexual roles
• Taiwan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by grants MOST 105-2410-H-002-143-MY2, MOST 103-2410-H-002-225-MY2, NSC 102-2410-H-002-220-, and NSC 100-2410-H-002-174-MY2 from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (formerly, National Science Council) awarded to Dr Jiun-Hau Huang.