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Moderated Mediation of Perceived Intoxication and Sexual Arousal on Determinants of Sexual Risk Behavior in Men Who Have Sex with Men

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Abstract

Behavioral interventions remain the preferred strategy for reducing HIV-related risk behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM), one of the populations most affected by HIV. To improve intervention efforts, research is needed to identify cognitive-motivational factors that may play a role in sexual risk behaviors among MSM. This study sought to replicate and extend previous work from a heterosexual population that identified a serial mediation effect of perceived intoxication and subjective sexual arousal in the relationship between alcohol consumption and determinants of sexual risk in a population of MSM. Exploratory moderated mediation analyses tested subjective sexual arousal as a moderator of the indirect effect of alcohol consumption on determinants of sexual risk via perceived intoxication. Participants (N = 117 MSM, ages 21–50) were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions based on two manipulations: beverage condition (alcohol, placebo, or control) and sexual arousal (low or high). Dependent measures were likelihood to engage in risky sex and condom negotiation skills. Results did not support the serial mediation effect but showed some support for the moderated mediation model in the prediction of behavioral skills. Implications for alcohol and arousal myopia theories of risky behavior and HIV prevention efforts are discussed.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA14480 and 2K05 AA16928).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA

    Katherine A. Buckheit, Luke D. Mitzel, Stephen A. Maisto & Peter Vanable

  2. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Tibor Palfai

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  1. Katherine A. Buckheit
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  2. Luke D. Mitzel
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  3. Stephen A. Maisto
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  4. Tibor Palfai
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  5. Peter Vanable
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Correspondence to Katherine A. Buckheit.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Buckheit, K.A., Mitzel, L.D., Maisto, S.A. et al. Moderated Mediation of Perceived Intoxication and Sexual Arousal on Determinants of Sexual Risk Behavior in Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav 23, 1460–1470 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2343-7

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