“The median age at first insertive or receptive anal intercourse was 17 years. Half of men reported sex with mainly older men…Most men had engaged in insertive (87%) and receptive (85%) anal intercourse in the prior 12 months with 60% and 53% reporting inconsistent condom use with insertive and receptive anal intercourse partners”1.
“Compared with men in the matched general population sample, men in the MSM sample had significantly higher lifetime prevalences on 7 of the 13 conditions and diseases assessed: hypertension, tuberculosis, pneumonia, ulcers, pancreatitis, liver disease, and STIs. The largest differences were for STIs (35.6% MSM vs. 6.6% for men in the matched NSDUH sample), hypertension (26.6% vs. 16.2%), pneumonia (14.2% vs. 6.6%), liver disease (12.2% vs. 2.3%), and lung cancer (3.4% vs. 0%). In contrast, there were no statistically significant findings in the direction of men in the matched general population sample having a higher lifetime prevalence rate for any condition.”2.
“Men who have sex with men (MSM) are the group most at risk for HIV and represent the majority of new infections in the United States. Rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among MSM have been estimated as high as 46 %. CSA is associated with increased risk of HIV and greater likelihood of HIV sexual risk behavior…Participants reporting CSA by family member were at 2.6 odds of current alcohol use disorder, two times higher odds of substance use disorder, and 2.7 times higher odds of reporting an STI in the past year. CSA with penetration was associated with increased likelihood of current PTSD, recent HIV sexual risk behavior, and a greater number of casual sexual partners…”3.
1. “Sexual behaviors and risk for sexually transmitted infections among teenage men who have sex with men.”
Zou H, et al.
J Adolesc Health. 2014 Aug;55(2):247-53.
2. “The relative odds of lifetime health conditions and infectious diseases among men who have sex with men compared with a matched general population sample.”
Swartz JA
Arch Sex Behav. 2015 Aug 27.
3. “Complexity of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Predictors of Current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mood Disorders, Substance Use, and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Adult Men Who Have Sex with Men.”
Boroughs MS, et al.
Arch Sex Behav. 2015 Oct;44(7):1891-902.
