title: Number of Psychosocial Strengths Predicts Reduced HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Above and Beyond Syndemic Problems Among Gay and Bisexual Men.
abstract: Syndemics research shows the additive effect of psychosocial problems on high-risk sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men (GBM). Psychosocial strengths may predict less engagement in high-risk sexual behavior. In a study of 470 ethnically diverse HIV-negative GBM, regression models were computed using number of syndemic psychosocial problems, number of psychosocial strengths, and serodiscordant condomless anal sex (CAS). The number of syndemic psychosocial problems correlated with serodiscordant CAS (RR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.18-1.92; p = 0.001). When adding the number of psychosocial strengths to the model, the effect of syndemic psychosocial problems became non-significant, but the number of strengths-based factors remained significant (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.53-0.86; p = 0.002). Psychosocial strengths may operate additively in the same way as syndemic psychosocial problems, but in the opposite direction. Consistent with theories of resilience, psychosocial strengths may be an important set of variables predicting sexual risk behavior that is largely missing from the current HIV behavioral literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada. trevor.hart@psych.ryerson.ca.|Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. trevor.hart@psych.ryerson.ca.
authors.forename: Trevor A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5107-7452
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
authors.forename: Syed W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Noor
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.|Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Barry D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
authors.forename: Julia R G
authors.initials: JRG
authors.lastname: Vernon
authors.affiliation: Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: AIDS Committee of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Winston
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Husbands
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072858:Psychosocial Support Systems; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Gay men; HIV; Men who have sex with men; Psychosocial strengths; Syndemics