Associations between sexual sensation seeking and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among young men who have sex with men in China

Psychol Health Med. 2017 Jun;22(5):596-603. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2016.1200729. Epub 2016 Jun 24.

Abstract

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) have become high risk groups for HIV infection in China. Recent researches suggest that sexual sensation seeking is significantly associated with AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, but the relationship is not clear in the field of YMSM in China. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sexual sensation seeking and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among YMSM in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhan, China from May to November 2013. 403 YMSM were recruited and 373 of them completed the questionnaire. Regression analyses indicated that YMSM with high sexual sensation seeking score are more likely to have low awareness of knowledge and negative attitude about condom use, as well as more risky sexual behaviors.

Keywords: Young men who have sex with men; attitude; knowledge; risky sexual behaviors; sexual sensation seeking.

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • China
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • HIV Infections
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Health Risk Behaviors
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Risk-Taking
  • Sensation
  • Sexual Behavior*
  • Sexual and Gender Minorities*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Unsafe Sex
  • Young Adult