Predictors of reporting bareback sex among a diverse sample of MSM recruited through a Swedish website

Abstract

This study aimed to understand how person, health and sexual behavior, HIV-risk cognitions, and gay community involvement relate to barebacking among 3634 men who have sex with men (MSM) recruited by way of the Swedish website QX.se. In this sample, 10% reported that they had engaged in barebacking in the past year. Variables found to be statistically significant in the bivariate analyses were incorporated into a logistic regression domain-specific model. Variables that remained significantly associated with barebacking in domain 1 were being HIV-positive and having had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the past year. The variable talked with someone in HIV services remained significant in domain 2, and for domain 3, the variable used the Internet to look for a bareback partner remained significant. Two variables, believing taking semen in one's mouth involves no or low risk of HIV transmission and believing that engaging in insertive unprotected anal intercourse (IUAI) involves no or low risk of HIV transmission, remained significant in domain 4. The final multivariate regression analysis included six variables (from domains 1 to 4) and had a significant fit (χ (2)(6) = 2.571, p=0.958). The likelihood of engaging in barebacking was higher for those men who reported being HIV-positive (odds ratio [OR] = 2.77), having had an STI in the past year (OR = 1.67), and having used the Internet to look for a bareback partner (OR = 12.59). This first study to explore the predictors of bareback sex among a Nordic MSM sample suggests that bareback sex among northern European MSM is less common than among other samples. The findings reconfirm that MSM who engage in bareback sex may represent a unique subset of MSM with distinct HIV prevention needs.

The Relationship of Internalized Homonegativity to Sexual Health and Well-Being Among Men in 38 European Countries Who Have Sex With Men

“…Henceforth, we included several sociodemographic and health-related measures in our analysis. These were selected in accordance with our research aim and categorized into four domains that were developed from literature described in the introduction, including our systematic mapping review, and as endorsed in related research (Berg, Tikkanen, & Ross, 2011).…”

Barebacking among men who have sex with men recruited through a Swedish website: associations with sexual activities at last sexual encounter

“…Nearly ten percent of the respondents (n=356) said they had engaged in barebacking in the past year (this was a binary 'yes'/'no' question and we did not ask frequency of barebacking, which likely varied). Additional details regarding the response rate and sample have previously been reported elsewhere [26].…”

“…Overall, although 'only' 10% of men indicated they engaged in bareback sex (discussed in [26]), the barebackers in this sample had a higher sexual risk profile, above and beyond barebacking, than other MSM as has been reported elsewhere [6,7,24]. This included nearly half (47%) of barebackers reporting that last sexual encounter involved UAI, 40% reporting that the last sexual encounter was with an unknown casual partner and many stating that it involved rimming, group sex, and taking semen in their mouth.…”

“…A full description of the study methods has been previously reported [26]. In brief, study eligibility requirements included being MSM, above the age of 15, and having Swedish as the preset language in the Qruiser community, the largest online community in Nordic countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.…”

Experiences of and attitudes towards HIV/STI prevention among holidaymaking men who have sex with men living in Sweden: A cross-sectional Internet survey

“…One of the strengths of the study is the high number of participants; moreover, 74% of those who read information about the study chose to respond to the survey, which is a high figure, compared to studies with similar approaches [30]. This study has a cross-sectional design and a self-selected group, which limits the ability to generalise the results.…”