History of childhood sexual abuse and unsafe anal intercourse in a 6-city study of HIV-positive men who have sex with men.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed rates of childhood sexual abuse and its demographic and mental health correlates among HIV-positive men who reported unsafe anal intercourse with other men in the past year.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 593 HIV-positive men who have sex with men enrolled in the Positive Connections intervention.


RESULTS
Childhood sexual abuse was reported by 47% of participants; 32% reported frequency as often or sometimes. Men reporting abuse were more likely to be Latino (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6, 4.2; P < .001) or African American (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.2, 2.7; P = .005) than White. Among those who were abused, more frequent abuse was associated with more sexual contacts (for each, rate ratio [RR] = 1.3; P < .001) and unsafe anal intercourse (often, RR = 1.5; sometimes, RR = 2.0; P < .001) compared with men who were not abused.


CONCLUSIONS
History of childhood sexual abuse is highly prevalent among HIV-positive men who engage in risky sexual behavior with other men and appears to be more common among men of color. Our findings suggest that abuse is associated with a significantly increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.
Boston University, MA, USA. slw58@drexel.edu
Seth L
SL
Welles
A Cornelius
AC
Baker
Michael H
MH
Miner
David J
DJ
Brennan
Scott
S
Jacoby
B R Simon
BR
Rosser
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000821:virology; D014481:United States; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult