Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex With Men Exhibit Multiple Trajectories With Respect to the Number of Sexual Partners

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
AIDS and Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study aimed to examine trajectories with respect to the number of sexual partners among older men who have sex with men and to determine characteristics associated with trajectory groups. Nagin’s group-based modeling was used to identify trajectories for 237 men from the Pitt Men’s Study with respect to the number of male intercourse partners from age 50.0 to 59.5. Three distinct trajectory groups were identified. Most men (69.2%) had a median of two sexual partners in the past 6 months across the age range of the study. A smaller group (19.4%) had low or no sex partners. The smallest group (11.4%) had 30 or more sexual partners in the past 6 months at age 50. The groups were statistically different with respect to race, HIV status, drug use (marijuana, poppers, crack cocaine, and Viagra), the number of unprotected anal sex partners, and personal attitudes towards sex.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Mansergh G, Marks G. Age and risk of HIV infection in men who have sex with men. AIDS. 1998;12(10):1119–28.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Grossman AH. At risk, infected, and invisible: older gay men and HIV/AIDS. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 1995;6(6):13–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. CDC Fact Sheet. Estimates of new HIV infections in the United States. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2008.

  4. Dolcini MM, Catania JA, Stall RD, Pollack L. The HIV epidemic among older men who have sex with men. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2003;33:S115–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Murray J, Adam BD. Aging, sexuality, and HIV issues among older gay men. Can J Hum Sex. 2001;10(3–4):75–90.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Wierzalis EA, Barret B, Pope M, Rankins M. Gay men and aging: sex and intimacy. In: Kimmel D, Rose T, David S, editors. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender aging: research and clinical perspectives. New York: Columbia University Press; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Crepaz N, Marks G. Towards an understanding of sexual risk behavior in people living with HIV: a review of social, psychological, and medical findings. AIDS. 2002;16(2):135–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. van Kesteren NM, Hospers HJ, Kok G. Sexual risk behavior among HIV-positive men who have sex with men: a literature review. Patient Educ Couns. 2007;65(1):5–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Brennan DJ, Welles SL, Miner MH, Ross MW, Rosser BR. HIV treatment optimism and unsafe anal intercourse among HIV-positive men who have sex with men: findings from the positive connections study. AIDS Educ Prev. 2010;22(2):126–37.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hart GJ, Elford J. Sexual risk behaviour of men who have sex with men: emerging patterns and new challenges. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2010;23(1):39–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ostrow DG, Fox KJ, Chmiel JS, et al. Attitudes towards highly active antiretroviral therapy are associated with sexual risk taking among HIV-infected and uninfected homosexual men. AIDS. 2002;16(5):775–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ostrow DG, Plankey MW, Cox C, et al. Specific sex drug combinations contribute to the majority of recent HIV seroconversions among MSM in the MACS. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2009;51(3):349–355. doi:10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181a24b20.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Finer LB, Darroch JE, Singh S. Sexual partnership patterns as a behavioral risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases. Fam Plann Perspect. 1999;31(5):228–36.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hughes G, Brady AR, Catchpole MA, et al. Characteristics of those who repeatedly acquire sexually transmitted infections: a retrospective cohort study of attendees at three urban sexually transmitted disease clinics in England. Sex Transm Dis. 2001;28(7):379–86.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Parazzini F, Cavalieri D’oro L, Naldi L, et al. Number of sexual partners, condom use and risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Int J Epidemiol. 1995;24(6):1197–203.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Jacobs RJ, Fernandez MI, Ownby RL, Bowen GS, Hardigan PC, Kane MN. Factors associated with risk for unprotected receptive and insertive anal intercourse in men aged 40 and older who have sex with men. AIDS Care. 2010:1–8.

  17. Silvestre AJ, Lyter DW, Rinaldo CR Jr, Kingsley LA, Forrester R, Huggins J. Marketing strategies for recruiting gay men into AIDS research and education projects. J Community Health. 1986;11(4):222–32.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Silvestre AJ, Hylton JB, Johnson LM, et al. Recruiting minority men who have sex with men for HIV research: results from a 4-city campaign. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(6):1020–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Mehta PD, West SG. Putting the individual back into individual growth curves. Psychol Methods. 2000;5(1):23–43.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Radloff LS. The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psychol Meas. 1977;1(3):385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Farinpour R, Miller EN, Satz P, et al. Psychosocial Risk Factors of HIV Morbidity and Mortality: findings from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2003;25(5):654–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Mills TC, Paul J, Stall R, et al. Distress and depression in men who have sex with men: the Urban Men’s Health Study. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161(2):278–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Nagin D. Analyzing developmental trajectories: a semi-parametric group-based approach. Psychol Methods. 1999;4:139–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ostrow DG, Stall R. Alcohol tobacco and drug use among gay and bisexual men. In: Woltiski RJ, Stall R, Valdiserri RO, editors. Unequal opportunity health disparities affecting gay and bisexual men in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press; 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Stall R, Mills TC, Williamson J, et al. Association of co-occurring psychosocial health problems and increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among urban men who have sex with men. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(6):939–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Cooperman NA, Arnsten JH, Klein RS. Current sexual activity and risky sexual behavior in older men with or at risk for HIV infection. AIDS Educ Prev. 2007;19(4):321–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Lim SH, Spencer SM, Kim K, Markovic N, Stall R, Silvestre AJ. Changing trajectories of depressive symptoms among a cohort of middle-aged and older men who have sex with men J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci (under review). 2010.

  28. Siegel K, Schrimshaw EW. Reasons for the adoption of celibacy among older men and women living with HIV/AIDS. J Sex Res. 2003;40(2):189–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Bauer DJ, Curran PJ. Distribution assumptions for growth mixture models: implications for overextraction of latent trajectory classes. Psychol Methods. 2003;8(3):338–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Nagin DS, Tremblay RE. Developmental trajectory groups: fact or a useful statistical fiction? Criminology. 2005;43(4):873–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Wright ER. Travel, tourism, and HIV risk among older adults. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2003;33:S233–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Benotsch EG, Mikytuck JJ, Ragsdale K, Pinkerton SD. Sexual risk and HIV acquisition among men who have sex with men travelers to Key West, Florida: a mathematical modeling analysis. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2006;20(8):549–56.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Shernoff M. Negotiated nonmonogamy and male couples. Fam Process. 2006;45(4):407–18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Steinman R. Social exchanges between older and younger gay male partners. J Homosex. 1991;20:179–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Ellen JM, Brown BA, Chung SE, et al. Impact of sexual networks on risk for gonorrhea and chlamydia among low-income urban African American adolescents. J Pediatr. 2005;146(4):518–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Rubin R. Men talking about Viagra. Men Masc. 2004;7(1):22–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. van Kesteren NM, Hospers HJ, van Empelen P, van Breukelen G, Kok G. Sexual decision-making in HIV-positive men who have sex with men: how moral concerns and sexual motives guide intended condom use with steady and casual sex partners. Arch Sex Behav. 2007;36(3):437–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the participants in the Pitt Men’s Study as well as the staff members of the Pitt Men’s Study. We would like to especially thank Ms. Carol Perfetti for her assistance in data preparation. This paper was completed as part of Sin How Lim's doctoral dissertation in the Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health of the University of Pittsburgh.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Sin How Lim & Ronald D. Stall

  2. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Charles Lafayette Christen

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Michael P. Marshal

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Nina Markovic

  5. Department of Education in Psychology, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Kevin H. Kim

  6. Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Anthony J. Silvestre

Authors
  1. Sin How Lim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charles Lafayette Christen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael P. Marshal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ronald D. Stall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nina Markovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kevin H. Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Anthony J. Silvestre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sin How Lim.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lim, S.H., Christen, C.L., Marshal, M.P. et al. Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex With Men Exhibit Multiple Trajectories With Respect to the Number of Sexual Partners. AIDS Behav 16, 590–598 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-9916-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-9916-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation