Social and Sexual Contexts Explain Sexual Risk Taking in Young Gay, Bisexual, and Other Young Men Who Have Sex With Men, Ages 13–29 Years

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey study is an analysis of the combined effects of contextual and personal factors in socialization, meeting of sexual partners, and sexual risk-taking among 529 young gay, bisexual, and other young men who have sex with men (ages 13–29 years). Results of binary logistic regression indicated that (a) the majority of the participants socialized outside of their home neighborhoods; (b) 13- to 20-year-olds utilized social circles to meet casual sex partners significantly more than 21- to 29-year-olds, who were more likely to make use of mainstream gay venues for this purpose; and (c) the participants who met sex partners at mainstream gay venues were less likely to engage in unprotected anal sex than those who partnered via the Internet.

KEYWORDS:

• YMSM
• gay and bisexual
• context
• sexual risk taking
• episodic analysis

Notes

*p ≤ .001, **p ≤ .05.

*p ≤ .001, **p ≤ .01.

*p ≤ .05, **p ≤ .01.

*p ≤ .05.