PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF UNPROTECTED ANAL SEX IN A COHORT OF GAY MEN ATTENDING AN HIV-NEGATIVE SUPPORT GROUP

The objective of this report is to identify psychosocial correlates of unprotected anal sex among attendants at a support group for HN-negat ive gay and bisexual men. Presupport group measures were given to 55 s elf-identified urban HIV-negative gay and bisexual men in a high-incid ence HIV location (San Francisco) attending a 10-week, weekly, 2-hour support group at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) AIDS Health Project. Participants completed self-administered question naires that included measures of perceived risk, condom self-efficacy, social support, HIV knowledge, and depression. At baseline, 25% of th e participants reported unprotected anal sex (receptive or insertive) in the two months preceding enrollment. This finding was independent o f whether the participant was single or involved in a relationship, an d whether or not the participant's partner was infected with HIV. Part icipants were found to generally have very high AIDS knowledge and low depression scores. In bivariate analysis, unprotected anal sex was as sociated with low condom self-efficacy, low AIDS knowledge, dissatisfa ction with social support, and lower commitment to safer sex. In multi variate analysis, unprotected anal sex was independently associated wi th low condom self-efficacy (p = .006), and low AIDS knowledge (p = .0 07). Additionally, a borderline significant result was found when meas uring satisfaction with social support (p = .085). No association was found between depression scores and unprotected sexual activity.