title: The impact of stressful life events on unprotected anal intercourse among gay and bisexual men.
abstract: We investigated the hypothesis that gay and bisexual men experiencing stressful life events are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Data were from a cohort study of 155 HIV-positive and 207 HIV-negative men in Ontario, Canada (1998-2007). We quantified the relation between stressful life events and unprotected anal intercourse with a non-regular partner. In the past 6 months, 19% reported unprotected intercourse (HIV+: 28%; HIV-: 13%) and 58% reported one or more stressful life events (HIV+: 64%; HIV-: 55%). Among HIV-negative men, the odds of unprotected intercourse increased by 1.15 for each additional event (95%CI 1.06, 1.24). Among HIV-positive men, those who reported the event "problems due to alcohol or drugs" were 1.80 (95%CI 1.27, 2.56) times more likely to report unprotected intercourse. Interventions to assist men to cope with stress may help to prevent population spread of HIV and improve overall health.
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 5th Floor, Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada. liviana.calzavara@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Liviana M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Calzavara
authors.forename: Ann N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Burchell
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lebovic
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Remis
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raboud
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corey
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Swantee
authors.forename: Trevor A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000145:classification; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*