DOMINANT SITUATIONAL DETERMINANTS OF SEXUAL RISK BEHAVIOR IN GAY MEN

Objective: To examine the interplay between situational, social and ps ychological factors in gay men's decisions about HIV risk behaviour, u sing multiple hypothetical situations. Method: The sample included 79 gay men from Sydney recruited through flyers, press advertisements or personal contact at gay venues. Subjects were presented with 20 hypoth etical situations graphically on a computer, which included different levels of attraction to partner, intoxication, attractiveness to partn er, condom availability, desire for anal sex by subject, insistence of partner on using a condom and time constraints in each situation. Sub jects used a computerized graphic rating scale to indicate the likelih ood of unprotected anal sex in each situation, the frequency with whic h they had experienced the hypothetical situation in real life and sat isfaction with their response. The probability of having unsafe anal s ex in any given situation was the dependent variable. All other variab les were predictors. Results: A vector of predictors accounted for 30% of the variance (r = 0.54). Ratings of the probability of anal sex in creased with the frequency that subjects had experienced hypothetical situations in real life, attraction to partner, attractiveness to part ner and time elapsed since real life experience similar to the hypothe tical one. Ratings of the probability of anal sex decreased with condo m availability. Conclusions: Our results suggest that interventions mu st address the way that individuals interact with their partner and th eir environment in order to be successful.