Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2006 Jan;83(1):73-85.
doi: 10.1007/s11524-005-9008-3.

HIV behavioral research online

Mary Ann Chiasson  1 , Jeffrey T Parsons, James M Tesoriero, Alex Carballo-Dieguez, Sabina Hirshfield, Robert H Remien
Affiliations
Review

HIV behavioral research online

Mary Ann Chiasson et al. J Urban Health. 2006 Jan.

Abstract

Internet access has caused a global revolution in the way people of all ages and genders interact. Many have turned to the Internet to seek love, companionship, and sex, prompting researchers to move behavioral studies online. The sexual behavior of men who have sex with men (MSM) has been more closely studied than that of any other group online given the abundance of gay-oriented websites and concerns about increasing transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Not only does the Internet provide a new medium for the conduct of behavioral research and for participant recruitment into an array of research studies, it has the as yet unrealized potential to reach huge numbers of MSM with innovative harm reduction and prevention messages tailored to individualized needs, interests, and risk behavior. Internet-based research on sexual behavior has many advantages in rapidity of recruitment of diverse samples which include individuals unreachable through conventional methods (i.e., non-gay identified and geographically and socially isolated MSM, etc.). Internet-based research also presents some new methodologic challenges in study design, participant recruitment, survey implementation, and interpretation of results. In addition, there are ethical issues unique to online research including difficulties in verifying informed consent, obstacles to surveying minors, and the ability to assure anonymity. This paper presents a review of Internet-based research on sexual behavior in MSM, a general discussion of the methodologic and ethical challenges of Internet-based research, and recommendations for future interdisciplinary research.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1037/0735-7028.30.2.154', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.30.2.154'}]}
    2. Cooper A, Scherer C, Boies S, Gordon B. Sexuality on the Internet: from sexual exploration to pathological expression. Prof Psychol Res Pract. 1999;30(2):154–164.
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1001/jama.284.4.485', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.284.4.485'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '10904514', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10904514/'}]}
    2. Toomey K, Rothenberg R. Sex and cyberspace—virtual networks leading to high-risk sex. JAMA. 2000;284(4):485–487. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1023/A:1014739203657', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1014739203657'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '11974643', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11974643/'}]}
    2. Benotsch E, Kalichman S, Cage M. Men who have met sex partners via the Internet: prevalence, predictors, and implications for HIV prevention. Arch Sex Behav. Apr 2002;31(2):177–183. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'DOI', 'value': '10.1097/00007435-200010000-00008', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://doi.org/10.1097/00007435-200010000-00008'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '11034529', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11034529/'}]}
    2. Bull S, McFarlane M. Soliciting sex on the Internet: what are the risks for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV? Sex Transm Dis. 2000;27(9):545–550. - PubMed
    1. {'text': '', 'ref_index': 1, 'ids': [{'type': 'PMC', 'value': 'PMC1446481', 'is_inner': False, 'url': 'https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1446481/'}, {'type': 'PubMed', 'value': '11392947', 'is_inner': True, 'url': 'https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11392947/'}]}
    2. Bull S, McFarlane M, Rietmeijer C. HIV and sexually transmitted infection risk behaviors among men seeking sex with men on-line. Am J Public Health. 2001; 91(6):988–989. - PMC - PubMed