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Patterns of Online and Offline Partnering, Partnership Characteristics, and Condomless Sex Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Males in the USA

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Abstract

Online partner-seeking among adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM) has been associated with condomless anal sex. Two hypotheses may explain this association: that online venues facilitate HIV transmission risk behavior more than offline venues (accentuation), or that individuals who tend to engage in these behaviors are more likely to seek partners online (self-selection). We examined these hypotheses in 700 13–18 year-old ASMM who completed the baseline survey of an effectiveness trial of an HIV prevention program in 2018–2020. The survey assessed demographic, sexual, and venue characteristics of male anal sex partnerships in the past 3 months. Many participants (83%) reported ≥ 1 online-met partner; most were met via sexual networking applications and were older than offline-met partners. Having met partners online, but not whether a particular partner was met online, was associated with greater odds of receptive condomless sex. Findings support the self-selection hypothesis, which has implications for HIV prevention in ASMM.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the participants who shared their time and perspectives with us during the study, and to Jonathon Rendina for his advice on data analysis.

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to Brian Mustanski (U01 MD011281).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kathryn Macapagal, Kevin Moran, Michael E. Newcomb, David A. Moskowitz & Brian Mustanski

  2. Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kathryn Macapagal, Kevin Moran, Michael E. Newcomb, David A. Moskowitz, Christopher Owens & Brian Mustanski

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  1. Kathryn Macapagal
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  2. Kevin Moran
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  3. Michael E. Newcomb
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Correspondence to Kathryn Macapagal.

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All procedures in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Northwestern University institutional review board and the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in the study under a waiver of parental permission.

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Macapagal, K., Moran, K., Newcomb, M.E. et al. Patterns of Online and Offline Partnering, Partnership Characteristics, and Condomless Sex Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Males in the USA. AIDS Behav 25, 2033–2045 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-03133-4

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