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Patterns of online and offline connectedness among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

Patterns of online and offline connectedness among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men
Patterns of online and offline connectedness among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men
This study examined patterns of connectedness among 774 sexually-active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), aged ≥ 16 years, recruited using respondent-driven sampling in Metro Vancouver. Latent class analysis examined patterns of connectedness including: attendance at gay venues/events (i.e., bars/clubs, community groups, pride parades), social time spent with GBM, use of online social and sex seeking apps/websites, and consumption of gay media. Multinomial regression identified correlates of class membership. A three-class LCA solution was specified: Class 1 “Socialites” (38.8%) were highly connected across all indicators. Class 2 “Traditionalists” (25.7%) were moderately connected, with little app/website-use. Class 3 “Techies” (35.4%) had high online connectedness and relatively lower in-person connectedness. In multivariable modelling, Socialites had higher collectivism than Traditionalists, who had higher collectivism than Techies. Socialites also had higher annual incomes than other classes. Techies were more likely than Traditionalists to report recent serodiscordant or unknown condomless anal sex and HIV risk management practices (e.g., ask their partner’s HIV status, get tested for HIV). Traditionalists on the other hand were less likely to practice HIV risk management and had lower HIV/AIDS stigma scores than Socialites. Further, Traditionalists were older, more likely to be partnered, and reported fewer male sex partners than men in other groups. These findings highlight how patterns of connectedness relate to GBM’s risk management.
1090-7165
2147-2160
Card, Kiffer G.
4bece098-5a9b-46cf-a64e-615f14acce73
Armstrong, Heather L.
3dc9c223-1a61-47ad-ab0b-50d06cddf4f2
Lachowsky, Nathan J.
87634bac-759c-4e7b-9f16-22fb37e87cf6
Cui, Zishan
298721d1-0246-4602-9120-c626eec8b142
Zhu, Julia
ace0838d-a3a1-4594-a8ed-9ee5d94dfb26
Roth, Eric A.
4900d79c-ac00-475b-8bb9-e96243905ca7
Hogg, Robert S.
3f71ad69-9c8a-4732-bb86-4aa0652e1f3f
Card, Kiffer G.
4bece098-5a9b-46cf-a64e-615f14acce73
Armstrong, Heather L.
3dc9c223-1a61-47ad-ab0b-50d06cddf4f2
Lachowsky, Nathan J.
87634bac-759c-4e7b-9f16-22fb37e87cf6
Cui, Zishan
298721d1-0246-4602-9120-c626eec8b142
Zhu, Julia
ace0838d-a3a1-4594-a8ed-9ee5d94dfb26
Roth, Eric A.
4900d79c-ac00-475b-8bb9-e96243905ca7
Hogg, Robert S.
3f71ad69-9c8a-4732-bb86-4aa0652e1f3f

Card, Kiffer G., Armstrong, Heather L., Lachowsky, Nathan J., Cui, Zishan, Zhu, Julia, Roth, Eric A. and Hogg, Robert S. (2018) Patterns of online and offline connectedness among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 22 (7), 2147-2160. (doi:10.1007/s10461-017-1939-7).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study examined patterns of connectedness among 774 sexually-active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), aged ≥ 16 years, recruited using respondent-driven sampling in Metro Vancouver. Latent class analysis examined patterns of connectedness including: attendance at gay venues/events (i.e., bars/clubs, community groups, pride parades), social time spent with GBM, use of online social and sex seeking apps/websites, and consumption of gay media. Multinomial regression identified correlates of class membership. A three-class LCA solution was specified: Class 1 “Socialites” (38.8%) were highly connected across all indicators. Class 2 “Traditionalists” (25.7%) were moderately connected, with little app/website-use. Class 3 “Techies” (35.4%) had high online connectedness and relatively lower in-person connectedness. In multivariable modelling, Socialites had higher collectivism than Traditionalists, who had higher collectivism than Techies. Socialites also had higher annual incomes than other classes. Techies were more likely than Traditionalists to report recent serodiscordant or unknown condomless anal sex and HIV risk management practices (e.g., ask their partner’s HIV status, get tested for HIV). Traditionalists on the other hand were less likely to practice HIV risk management and had lower HIV/AIDS stigma scores than Socialites. Further, Traditionalists were older, more likely to be partnered, and reported fewer male sex partners than men in other groups. These findings highlight how patterns of connectedness relate to GBM’s risk management.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 26 October 2017
Published date: 1 July 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 430029
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/430029
ISSN: 1090-7165
PURE UUID: a3df7302-dc60-408c-b835-3d9ee2b56ad9
ORCID for Heather L. Armstrong: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1071-8644

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Date deposited: 10 Apr 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:40

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Contributors

Author: Kiffer G. Card
Author: Nathan J. Lachowsky
Author: Zishan Cui
Author: Julia Zhu
Author: Eric A. Roth
Author: Robert S. Hogg

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