PARTNER-SPECIFIC SEXUAL BEHAVIORS AMONG PERSONS WITH BOTH MAIN AND OTHER PARTNERS

Context: If men and women engage in different sexual behavior with mai n partners than with other types of partners, then programs aimed at p reventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) may need to address individuals' differential risk with each partner type. Meth ods: Relationship characteristics, partner risk behaviors and sexual b ehaviors are examined among 123 male and 106 female STD clinic patient s who had both main and other partners. Individual-level comparisons a re made for two types of partner pairs: main vs. other frequent (side) partners and main vs. casual partners. Results: Among men and women w ith both main and side partners, the proportion who had known only the ir main partner for at least a year (48% of men and 41 % of women) was significantly higher than the proportion who had known only their sid e partner for that long (2% and 9%, respectively); no other variable d iffered significantly by partner type. Among those with main and casua l partners, both men and women were more likely to use alcohol or drug s before or during sex with main partners only (15%) than with casual partners only (1-3%). Women with main and casual partners were more li kely to have oral sex only with main partners than only with casualpar tners (37% vs. 3%), and were more likely to use condoms only with casu alpartners than only with main partners (33% vs. 4%). Conclusions: Pro viders need to ask individuals about their sexual behaviors with diffe rent partner types, and should tailor prevention messages to an indivi dual's risks and reproductive intentions with each partner.