Syndemic Conditions, Sexual Risk Behavior, and HIV Infection Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Taiwan

Deng Min Chuang*, Peter A. Newman, Lin Fang, Meng Chuan Lai

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to constitute the majority of HIV incidence in Taiwan. This study examined the associations between five co-occurring psychosocial health conditions (PHCs)–childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), intimate partner violence (IPV), internalized homophobia (IH), and methamphetamine use (MU), and two outcomes (HIV infection and condomless anal sex) among a community sample of 1,000 Taiwanese MSM (mean age 28.5 years). Compared to MSM who had never experienced any PHC, MSM with one or more PHCs had greater than twofold higher odds of being HIV-positive, and those with three or more PHCs had twofold higher odds of having condomless anal sex. Interactive effects on HIV infection were identified from CPA + CSA + MU and CPA + IPV + MU. An interactive effect on condomless anal sex was detected between IH and MU. In order to control the escalating HIV epidemic among MSM in Taiwan, interventions are needed to address syndemic psychosocial health conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3503-3518
Number of pages16
JournalAIDS and Behavior
Volume25
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021 Nov

Keywords

  • Condomless anal sex
  • HIV infection
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Psychosocial health conditions
  • Syndemic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Infectious Diseases

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Syndemic Conditions, Sexual Risk Behavior, and HIV Infection Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Taiwan'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this