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Causal Effects of Alcohol Intoxication on Sexual Risk Intentions and Condom Negotiation Skills Among High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)

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Abstract

Alcohol use is a key risk factor for HIV infection among MSM, in part because intoxication may interfere with the use of prevention methods like condoms. However, few studies have examined whether this is due to alcohol’s pharmacological or expectancy effects or explored the specific aspects of sexual decision-making that may be affected. In this study, high-risk, heavy drinking MSM (N = 121) were randomly assigned to receive either (1) alcohol beverages, (2) placebo beverages, or (3) control beverages, before navigating a video-based sexual risk scenario that assessed several aspects of sexual decision-making. Results showed that condom use intentions and negotiation behaviors were lower among alcohol and placebo participants compared with controls, but that few significant differences emerged between the alcohol and placebo groups. These findings contrast with similar past studies, and suggest that alcohol’s expectancy effects may play a role in sexual decision-making.

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Acknowledgements

This manuscript was supported by P01AA019072 (to PM), L30AA023336 (to TW), K05AA019681 (to PM), and K08AA024056 (to MC) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, 02906, USA

    Tyler B. Wray, Mark A. Celio, Ashley E. Pérez, Graham T. DiGuiseppi, Daniel J. Carr, Laura Allison Woods & Peter M. Monti

  2. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA

    Ashley E. Pérez

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  1. Tyler B. Wray
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Correspondence to Tyler B. Wray.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wray, T.B., Celio, M.A., Pérez, A.E. et al. Causal Effects of Alcohol Intoxication on Sexual Risk Intentions and Condom Negotiation Skills Among High-Risk Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM). AIDS Behav 23, 161–174 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2243-x

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