Sexual Compulsivity Mediates the Association Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Condom Use Resistance Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women.

Abstract

Despite the continued prevalence of HIV and condoms' proven effectiveness in HIV prevention, many young men continue to engage in condom use resistance (CUR). Research shows that sexual compulsivity and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) victimization are risk factors for CUR. Given that sexual activity between men is the most common method through which HIV is transmitted, and that men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) are up to five times as likely to contract or transmit HIV as men who have sex with women only (MSWO), understanding the CUR behaviors of MSMW is uniquely important. Young, single men who had had sex with a woman in the past year (N = 623) completed questionnaires assessing their previous sexual experiences with men and women, history of CSA, sexual compulsivity, and CUR to determine how MSMW classification may moderate the associations between these variables. Results revealed full, moderated mediation, such that CSA was significantly associated with sexual compulsivity among MSMW, but not MSWO. Furthermore, sexual compulsivity was subsequently associated with CUR, in a model accounting for 5.35% of CUR variance. Such findings suggest that exposure to CSA may render MSMW especially susceptible to maladaptive, sexually compulsive desires and behaviors. As a result, MSMW may be more likely to disregard the inherent risks associated with condomless sexual activity and engage in CUR. Thus, intervention programs seeking to reduce the transmission of HIV and other STIs should prioritize targeting MSMW who experienced CSA to reduce sexual compulsivity and increase condom use.