Experience of Violence in the Past Year among Surveyed MSM in Nepal

Background

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are marginalized, hidden, underserved and at high risk for HIV in Nepal. We examined the association between MSM sub-populations, psychosocial health problems and support, access to prevention and non-use of condoms.

Methods

Between September-November of 2010, a cross-sectional survey on HIV-related risk behavior was performed across Nepal through snowball sampling facilitated by non-governmental organizations, recruiting 339 MSM, age 15 or older. The primary outcomes were: (a) non-use of condoms at least once in last three anal sex encounters with men and (b) non-use of condoms with women in the last encounter. The secondary outcome was participation in HIV prevention interventions in the past year.

Results

Among the 339 MSM interviewed, 78% did not use condoms at their last anal sex with another man, 35% did not use condoms in their last sex with a woman, 70% had experienced violence in the last 12 months, 61% were experiencing depression and 47% had thought of committing suicide. After adjustment for age, religion, marital status, and MSM subpopulations (bisexual, ta, meti, gay), non-use of condoms at last anal sex with a man was significantly associated with non-participation in HIV interventions, experience of physical and sexual violence, depression, repeated suicidal thoughts, small social support network and being dissatisfied with social support. Depression was marginally associated with non-use of condoms with women. The findings suggest that among MSM who reported non-use of condoms at last anal sex, the ta subgroup and those lacking family acceptance were the least likely to have participated in any preventive interventions.

Conclusions

MSM in Nepal have a prevalence of psychosocial health problems in turn associated with high risk behavior for HIV. Future HIV prevention efforts targeting MSM in Nepal should cover all MSM subpopulations and prioritize psychosocial health interventions.

Full article at:  http://goo.gl/0Gchu8

By:   Keshab Deuba,1,* Anna Mia Ekström,2,3 Rachana Shrestha,4 George Ionita,5 Laxmi Bhatta,4 and Deepak Kumar Karki6

¹Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

²Division of Global Health (IHCAR), Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

³Department of Infectious Diseases, Huddinge, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

⁴Nobel College, Pokhara University, Kathmandu, Nepal

⁵United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kathmandu, Nepal

⁶National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, Kathmandu, Nepal

University of Washington, United States of America

* E-mail: moc.liamg@k4abued

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison_Health

Sexual Relationships in Last 12 months among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nepal

Background

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are marginalized, hidden, underserved and at high risk for HIV in Nepal. We examined the association between MSM sub-populations, psychosocial health problems and support, access to prevention and non-use of condoms.

Methods

Between September-November of 2010, a cross-sectional survey on HIV-related risk behavior was performed across Nepal through snowball sampling facilitated by non-governmental organizations, recruiting 339 MSM, age 15 or older. The primary outcomes were: (a) non-use of condoms at least once in last three anal sex encounters with men and (b) non-use of condoms with women in the last encounter. The secondary outcome was participation in HIV prevention interventions in the past year.

Results

Among the 339 MSM interviewed, 78% did not use condoms at their last anal sex with another man, 35% did not use condoms in their last sex with a woman, 70% had experienced violence in the last 12 months, 61% were experiencing depression and 47% had thought of committing suicide. After adjustment for age, religion, marital status, and MSM subpopulations (bisexual, ta, meti, gay), non-use of condoms at last anal sex with a man was significantly associated with non-participation in HIV interventions, experience of physical and sexual violence, depression, repeated suicidal thoughts, small social support network and being dissatisfied with social support. Depression was marginally associated with non-use of condoms with women. The findings suggest that among MSM who reported non-use of condoms at last anal sex, the ta subgroup and those lacking family acceptance were the least likely to have participated in any preventive interventions.

Conclusions

MSM in Nepal have a prevalence of psychosocial health problems in turn associated with high risk behavior for HIV. Future HIV prevention efforts targeting MSM in Nepal should cover all MSM subpopulations and prioritize psychosocial health interventions.

Full article at:  http://goo.gl/0Gchu8

By:   Keshab Deuba,1,* Anna Mia Ekström,2,3 Rachana Shrestha,4 George Ionita,5 Laxmi Bhatta,4 and Deepak Kumar Karki6

¹Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

²Division of Global Health (IHCAR), Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

³Department of Infectious Diseases, Huddinge, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

⁴Nobel College, Pokhara University, Kathmandu, Nepal

⁵United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kathmandu, Nepal

⁶National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, Kathmandu, Nepal

University of Washington, United States of America

* E-mail: moc.liamg@k4abued

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison_Health

Sex Roles in Percentages among 339 Surveyed MSM in Nepal

Background

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are marginalized, hidden, underserved and at high risk for HIV in Nepal. We examined the association between MSM sub-populations, psychosocial health problems and support, access to prevention and non-use of condoms.

Methods

Between September-November of 2010, a cross-sectional survey on HIV-related risk behavior was performed across Nepal through snowball sampling facilitated by non-governmental organizations, recruiting 339 MSM, age 15 or older. The primary outcomes were: (a) non-use of condoms at least once in last three anal sex encounters with men and (b) non-use of condoms with women in the last encounter. The secondary outcome was participation in HIV prevention interventions in the past year.

Results

Among the 339 MSM interviewed, 78% did not use condoms at their last anal sex with another man, 35% did not use condoms in their last sex with a woman, 70% had experienced violence in the last 12 months, 61% were experiencing depression and 47% had thought of committing suicide. After adjustment for age, religion, marital status, and MSM subpopulations (bisexual, ta, meti, gay), non-use of condoms at last anal sex with a man was significantly associated with non-participation in HIV interventions, experience of physical and sexual violence, depression, repeated suicidal thoughts, small social support network and being dissatisfied with social support. Depression was marginally associated with non-use of condoms with women. The findings suggest that among MSM who reported non-use of condoms at last anal sex, the ta subgroup and those lacking family acceptance were the least likely to have participated in any preventive interventions.

Conclusions

MSM in Nepal have a prevalence of psychosocial health problems in turn associated with high risk behavior for HIV. Future HIV prevention efforts targeting MSM in Nepal should cover all MSM subpopulations and prioritize psychosocial health interventions.

Full article at:  http://goo.gl/0Gchu8

By:   Keshab Deuba,1,* Anna Mia Ekström,2,3 Rachana Shrestha,4 George Ionita,5 Laxmi Bhatta,4 and Deepak Kumar Karki6

¹Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

²Division of Global Health (IHCAR), Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

³Department of Infectious Diseases, Huddinge, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

⁴Nobel College, Pokhara University, Kathmandu, Nepal

⁵United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kathmandu, Nepal

⁶National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, Kathmandu, Nepal

University of Washington, United States of America

* E-mail: moc.liamg@k4abued

 

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison_Health

Intersecting Race and Gender Cues are Associated with Perceptions of Gay Men's Preferred Sexual Roles

Preferences for anal sex roles (top/bottom) are an important aspect of gay male identity, but scholars have only recently begun to explore the factors that covary with these preferences. Here, we argue that the gendered nature of both racial stereotypes (i.e., Black men are masculine, Asian men are feminine) and sexual role stereotypes (i.e., tops are masculine, bottoms are feminine) link the categories Asian/bottom and the categories Black/top. 

We provide empirical evidence for these claims at three levels of analysis: At the cultural level based upon gay men's stereotypic beliefs about others (Study 1), at the interpersonal level based upon gay men's perceptions of others' sexual role preferences (Study 2), and at the intrapersonal level based upon racially diverse men's self-reported sexual roles on a public hookup website (Study 3). 

These studies offer the first systematic evidence of linkages between race categories and sexual roles in gay male communities.

Via: http://goo.gl/OMbsbl  Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/zhztG8

By: Lick DJ1, Johnson KL.

• 1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1563, USA, david.lick@ucla.edu.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight