The Role of Sexual Health Professionals in Developing a Shared Concept of Risky Sexual Behavior as it Relates to HIV Transmission

Abstract

“Risky sexual behavior” accounts for the majority of new HIV infections regardless of gender, age, geographic location, or ethnicity. The phrase, however, refers to a relatively nebulous concept that hampers development of effective sexual health communication strategies. The purpose of this paper is to propose development of a shared conceptual understanding of “risky sexual behavior.” We reviewed multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS literature to identify definitions of risky sexual behavior. Both the linguistic components and the social mechanisms that contribute to the concept of risky sexual behaviors were noted. Risky sexual behavior was often defined in a subjective manner in the literature, even in the scientific research. We urge a paradigm shift to focus on explicit behaviors and the social context of those behaviors in determining HIV risk. We also propose a new definition that reduces individual biases and promotes a broader discussion of the degree of sexual risk across a diversity of behavioral contexts. Sexual health professionals can strengthen practice and research initiatives by operating from a concise working definition of risky sexual behavior that is broadly transferable and expands beyond a traditional focus on identity-based groups.

Intimate Partner Violence and PrEP Acceptability Among Low-Income, Young Black Women: Exploring the Mediating Role of Reproductive Coercion

“…Limiting a woman’s access to birth control could also lower her sexual autonomy, potentially placing her at higher risk for HIV. The risk for transmission is greatest if a woman or her partner engage in sexual risk behaviors such as partner concurrency or sex with multiple partners [7]. Thus, it is critical for researchers to examine the acceptability of innovative women-controlled HIV-prevention methods among women at risk for HIV.…”

Bisexual men’s sexual health: A test of minority stress theory.

“…More specifically, items on the SRS do not account for the differences in risky sexual behaviors as they correspond to the gender identities of participants’ sexual partners and participant’s role (i.e., insertive or receptive partner) in the sexual activity; the latter may be particularly relevant for respondents in the present study who identified as transgender bisexual men. Consequently, researchers are encouraged to consider alternative methods of comprehensively operationalizing risky sexual behaviors among sexual minority individuals broadly and bisexual individual in particular that are both sex-positive (i.e., does not stigmatize “promiscuity”) and inclusive (e.g., considers consensually nonmonogamous relationships; Brawner, Alexander, Fannin, Baker, & Davis, 2016). Moreover, although this study is the first of its kind to assess bisexual men’s risky sexual behaviors via a comprehensive minority stress theory framework, future studies should also consider the association of bisexual minority stressors and substance use with additional dimensions of sexual health, such as sexual satisfaction.…”

Tenofovir Inhibits Wound Healing of Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts from the Upper and Lower Human Female Reproductive Tract

“…Due to the lack of awareness of the high incidence of genital injuries resulting from consensual and non-consensual sex51, HIV prevention trials have not considered the potential impact of genital trauma as an independent risk factor for HIV acquisition. Moreover, evaluation of genital trauma in large clinical trials designed to prevent HIV acquisition is complicated due to numerous factors52.…”